﻿ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  129 
  

  

  self 
  after 
  the 
  building 
  materials 
  of 
  its 
  edifice 
  have 
  been 
  

   artificially 
  disarranged, 
  of 
  re-adjusting 
  itself 
  after 
  the 
  

   proportions 
  have 
  been 
  artificially 
  disturbed. 
  A 
  fertilised 
  

   egg-cell 
  frequently 
  divides 
  into 
  a 
  ball 
  of 
  cells 
  like 
  a 
  micro- 
  

   scopic 
  mulberry 
  fruit; 
  the 
  constituents 
  of 
  this 
  ball 
  may 
  be 
  

   disarranged 
  and 
  the 
  ball 
  pressed 
  out 
  of 
  shape 
  between 
  two 
  

   glass 
  plates 
  ; 
  yet 
  if 
  the 
  interference 
  be 
  not 
  too 
  prolonged, 
  

   the 
  developing 
  embryo 
  may 
  right 
  itself 
  and 
  develop 
  nor- 
  

   mally. 
  Can 
  we 
  think 
  of 
  a 
  machine 
  which 
  is 
  practically 
  unaf- 
  

   fected 
  if 
  we 
  cut 
  off 
  half 
  of 
  it, 
  -or 
  which, 
  being 
  scrapped, 
  

   patiently 
  re-arranges 
  its 
  parts 
  and 
  begins 
  over 
  again 
  ! 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  developing 
  organism 
  is 
  in 
  its 
  behaviour 
  ' 
  cona- 
  

   tional 
  ' 
  -that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  being 
  ' 
  purposeful 
  7 
  

   the 
  difference 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  a 
  developing 
  sidereal 
  system 
  is 
  

   great. 
  But 
  what 
  grain 
  of 
  evidence 
  is 
  there 
  of 
  this 
  i 
  cona- 
  

   tional 
  ' 
  element 
  ? 
  Not 
  perhaps 
  very 
  much 
  when 
  we 
  confine 
  

   our 
  attention 
  to 
  normal 
  embryonic 
  stages, 
  where 
  one 
  phase 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  natural 
  and 
  necessary 
  outcome 
  of 
  its 
  ante- 
  

   cedent. 
  But 
  we 
  get 
  another 
  impression 
  when 
  we 
  consider 
  

   some 
  of 
  Driesch's 
  cases 
  of 
  self-regulation 
  and 
  of 
  re-adjust- 
  

   ment 
  after 
  profound 
  dislocation. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  we 
  make 
  of 
  it, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  marvels 
  of 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  is 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  separate 
  parts 
  are 
  often 
  

   correlated, 
  as 
  it 
  were 
  conspiring 
  together 
  towards 
  some 
  fu- 
  

   ture 
  result. 
  In 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  the 
  Vertebrate 
  eye, 
  an 
  outgrowth 
  

   from 
  the 
  brain 
  forms 
  the 
  retinal 
  cup, 
  an 
  independent 
  in- 
  

   growth 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  forms 
  the 
  lens, 
  some 
  mesoderm 
  cells 
  

   migrate 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  vitreous 
  humour, 
  others 
  

   combine 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  protective 
  envelopes, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  Strange 
  

   anticipations 
  of 
  coming 
  events 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  embry- 
  

  

  ologists. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  trivial 
  detail, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  the 
  silk-like 
  

  

  