﻿THE 
  CRITERIA 
  OF 
  LIVINGNESS 
  95 
  

  

  is, 
  Huxley 
  said, 
  " 
  a 
  Sisyphean 
  process, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  living 
  and 
  growing 
  plant 
  passes 
  from 
  the 
  relative 
  sim- 
  

   plicity 
  and 
  latent 
  potentiality 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  to 
  the 
  full 
  epiphany 
  

   of 
  a 
  highly 
  differentiated 
  type, 
  thence 
  to 
  fall 
  hack 
  to 
  sim- 
  

   plicity 
  and 
  potentiality 
  again 
  ". 
  So 
  is 
  it 
  also 
  among 
  animals. 
  

   The 
  microscopic 
  egg-cell 
  divides 
  and 
  re-divides, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   built 
  up 
  an 
  embryo. 
  This 
  may 
  develop 
  steadily 
  and 
  directly 
  

   into 
  the 
  likeness 
  of 
  its 
  kind, 
  or 
  it 
  may 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  divergent 
  

   larval 
  phase 
  such 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  familiar 
  with 
  in 
  caterpillars 
  

   and 
  tadpoles. 
  Through 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  critical 
  phases 
  of 
  ado- 
  

   lescence 
  the 
  adult 
  stage 
  is 
  reached, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  not 
  infrequent 
  

   achievement 
  to 
  lengthen 
  out 
  this 
  period 
  of 
  full 
  epiphany 
  

   and 
  freedom. 
  But 
  whether 
  the 
  creature's 
  life 
  is 
  counted 
  

   in 
  days 
  or 
  in 
  months, 
  years 
  or 
  centuries, 
  there 
  is 
  for 
  most 
  

   an 
  ascending 
  and 
  a 
  descending 
  curve 
  from 
  the 
  vita 
  minima 
  

   of 
  the 
  egg-cell 
  (which 
  often 
  dies 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  

   not 
  fertilised) 
  to 
  the 
  vita 
  minima 
  of 
  senescence 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  

   not 
  less 
  frequent 
  terminus 
  of 
  violent 
  death. 
  

  

  In 
  reference 
  to 
  Sir 
  Michael 
  Foster's 
  definition, 
  " 
  A 
  living 
  

   thing 
  is 
  a 
  vortex 
  of 
  chemical 
  and 
  molecular 
  change 
  ", 
  Pro- 
  

   fessor 
  Bateson 
  points 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  living 
  " 
  vortex 
  ' 
  differs 
  

   from 
  all 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  divide 
  and 
  throw 
  off 
  

   other 
  " 
  vortices 
  ", 
  through 
  which 
  again 
  matter 
  continually 
  

   swirls 
  (1913, 
  p. 
  40). 
  The 
  parallel, 
  he 
  says, 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  

   even 
  further, 
  for 
  a 
  simple 
  vortex, 
  like 
  a 
  smoke-ring, 
  if 
  pro- 
  

   jected 
  in 
  a 
  suitable 
  way, 
  will 
  writhe 
  into 
  two 
  rings. 
  " 
  If 
  each 
  

   loop 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  formed 
  could 
  grow 
  and 
  then 
  twist 
  again 
  to 
  form 
  

   more 
  loops, 
  we 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  model 
  representing 
  several 
  

   of 
  the 
  essential 
  features 
  of 
  living 
  things' 
  (1913, 
  p. 
  40). 
  

   It 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  added, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  that 
  the 
  living 
  vortex 
  

   is 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  complex 
  and 
  specific 
  chemical 
  changes 
  which 
  

   are 
  correlated 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  the 
  creature 
  lasts. 
  

  

  