﻿THE 
  UNIQUENESS 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  161 
  

  

  to 
  conquer 
  by 
  dividing 
  it, 
  for 
  if 
  one 
  analyses 
  it 
  into 
  its 
  

   components 
  one 
  inevitably 
  misses 
  the 
  bond 
  of 
  union. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   The 
  explanation 
  of 
  a 
  biological 
  fact 
  cannot 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   decomposing 
  it, 
  any 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  a 
  chemical 
  

   compound 
  can 
  be 
  deduced 
  from 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  its 
  consti- 
  

   tuent 
  elements. 
  ... 
  A 
  biological 
  fact 
  is 
  something 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  mere 
  arbitrary 
  assemblage 
  of 
  component 
  physical 
  and 
  

   chemical 
  facts, 
  and 
  the 
  component 
  facts 
  may 
  be 
  explained 
  

   without 
  touching 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  their 
  composition. 
  

   In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  eel 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  to 
  decompose 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  

   migration 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  acts 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  order, 
  

   into 
  the 
  chemical 
  reactions 
  occurring 
  in 
  muscular 
  move- 
  

   ment, 
  in 
  nervous 
  conduction, 
  in 
  the 
  stimulation 
  of 
  peripheral 
  

   sense 
  organs, 
  but 
  by 
  doing 
  so 
  one 
  cannot 
  but 
  lose 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  

   interconnection 
  of 
  these 
  single 
  acts, 
  the 
  interconnection 
  which 
  

   really 
  binds 
  together 
  all 
  these 
  acts 
  into 
  the 
  single 
  act 
  of 
  

   migration. 
  ... 
  To 
  decompose 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  migration 
  

   into 
  an 
  infinity 
  of 
  physico-chemical 
  processes 
  is 
  to 
  take 
  an 
  

   infinity 
  of 
  little 
  partial 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  act, 
  but 
  what 
  one 
  needs 
  

   for 
  an 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  is 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  view 
  which 
  

   will 
  unite 
  all 
  the 
  relevant 
  features 
  of 
  it 
  into 
  one 
  picture. 
  To 
  

   the 
  chemist 
  confronted 
  with 
  the 
  problem 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  fact 
  

   of 
  migration 
  at 
  all, 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  intricate 
  enravelment 
  

   of 
  chemical 
  reactions 
  ; 
  to 
  the 
  biologist 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  migration 
  

   to 
  a 
  particular 
  region 
  for 
  a 
  particular 
  purpose 
  is 
  cardinal, 
  

   and 
  the 
  chemical 
  processes 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  action 
  are 
  neg- 
  

   ligible." 
  

  

  But, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said, 
  if 
  the 
  mechanistic 
  description 
  leaves 
  

   the 
  eel's 
  migration 
  obscure, 
  does 
  any 
  other 
  description 
  fare 
  

   better? 
  The 
  answer 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  must 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  migration 
  

   in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  what 
  we 
  know 
  of 
  organisms 
  in 
  general. 
  It 
  

   is 
  certain, 
  for 
  instance, 
  that 
  what 
  a 
  living 
  creature 
  does 
  

  

  