﻿ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  

  

  of 
  which 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  oxygen 
  is 
  taken 
  as 
  an 
  index, 
  is 
  

   regular 
  and 
  constant, 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  expressed 
  either 
  by 
  

   Arrhenius's 
  formula 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  rule 
  of 
  Van't 
  Hoff. 
  Ege 
  

   and 
  Krogh 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  Van't 
  Hoff's 
  rule 
  does 
  not 
  apply 
  

   to 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  temperature 
  and 
  the 
  respiratory 
  

   exchange 
  in 
  goldfishes. 
  Indeed, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  cases 
  where 
  

   \ 
  7 
  an't 
  Hoff's 
  rule 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  apply. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  held 
  

   good 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  subtle 
  thing 
  as 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  cell-division 
  in 
  

   the 
  growing 
  point 
  of 
  a 
  root, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  

   indicating 
  a 
  simple 
  chemical 
  process. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  repertory 
  of 
  intricate 
  processes, 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  which 
  

   are 
  mutually 
  neutralised. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  also 
  some 
  difficulties 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  trans- 
  

   formations 
  of 
  energy 
  in 
  living 
  creatures 
  that 
  make 
  one 
  hesi- 
  

   tate 
  to 
  assert 
  dogmatically 
  that 
  conclusions 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  inorganic 
  must 
  hold 
  true 
  for 
  organisms. 
  It 
  is 
  pos- 
  

   sible, 
  for 
  instance, 
  that 
  living 
  cells 
  may 
  act 
  selectively 
  in 
  

   relation 
  to 
  the 
  molecules 
  that 
  bombard 
  them, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  

   organism 
  may 
  be 
  able 
  in 
  some 
  measure 
  to 
  evade 
  the 
  sec- 
  

   ond 
  law 
  of 
  thermodynamics. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  steam-engine 
  is 
  only 
  able 
  to 
  change 
  about 
  12 
  

   per 
  cent, 
  of 
  its 
  income 
  of 
  potential 
  energy 
  into 
  work; 
  the 
  

   animal 
  can 
  change 
  about 
  25 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  is 
  therefore 
  from 
  

   this 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  quite 
  remarkably 
  efficient. 
  Moreover, 
  

   as 
  Professor 
  Soddy 
  points 
  out, 
  the 
  organism 
  has 
  a 
  capacity 
  

   for 
  dealing 
  with 
  kinds 
  of 
  chemical 
  substances 
  which 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   converted 
  by 
  inanimate 
  agencies 
  into 
  useful 
  forms 
  of 
  energy 
  

   without 
  terrible 
  waste. 
  " 
  The 
  chemical 
  energy 
  of 
  food 
  suf- 
  

   fers 
  direct 
  transformation 
  into 
  work 
  without 
  first 
  being 
  

   converted 
  into 
  heat." 
  

  

  In 
  any 
  case 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  remember 
  that 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   general, 
  and 
  for 
  certain 
  purposes 
  very 
  useful, 
  applicability 
  

  

  