﻿96 
  THE 
  CRITERIA 
  OF 
  LIVINGNESS 
  

  

  This 
  power 
  of 
  persisting 
  on 
  its 
  own 
  path 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  pro- 
  

   toplasmic 
  inertia 
  is 
  very 
  fundamental. 
  It 
  has 
  received 
  

   remarkable 
  illustration 
  in 
  the 
  astounding 
  facts 
  established 
  

   in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  continued 
  life 
  of 
  excised 
  or 
  explanted 
  

   fragments 
  or 
  even 
  cells. 
  Pieces 
  of 
  skin, 
  drops 
  of 
  blood, 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  embryo 
  may 
  with 
  proper 
  precautions 
  be 
  kept 
  

   alive 
  for 
  months. 
  

  

  Is 
  there 
  any 
  unifying 
  concept 
  behind 
  these 
  extraordinary 
  

   powers 
  of 
  growing, 
  multiplying, 
  developing, 
  and 
  growing 
  

   again 
  ? 
  The 
  well-known 
  physicist, 
  Professor 
  Joly 
  of 
  Dublin, 
  

   made 
  many 
  years 
  ago 
  (1891) 
  the 
  very 
  interesting 
  sugges- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  the 
  living 
  creature 
  has 
  a 
  unique 
  power 
  of 
  accumu- 
  

   lating 
  energy 
  acceleratively. 
  " 
  The 
  organism 
  is 
  a 
  configu- 
  

   ration 
  of 
  matter 
  which 
  absorbs 
  energy 
  acceleratively, 
  without 
  

   limit, 
  when 
  unconstrained 
  ' 
  (p. 
  79). 
  If 
  we 
  heat 
  a 
  piece 
  

   of 
  iron 
  or 
  charge 
  a 
  Leyden 
  jar, 
  the 
  process 
  becomes 
  more 
  

   and 
  more 
  difficult 
  as 
  we 
  go 
  on. 
  " 
  The 
  transfer 
  of 
  energy 
  

   into 
  any 
  inanimate 
  material 
  system 
  is 
  attended 
  by 
  effects 
  

   retardative 
  to 
  the 
  transfer 
  and 
  conducive 
  to 
  dissipation." 
  

   But 
  the 
  young 
  leaf 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  sunlight 
  utilises 
  the 
  solar 
  

   energy 
  acceleratively; 
  the 
  more 
  it 
  gets, 
  the 
  more 
  it 
  grows, 
  

   and 
  the 
  more 
  it 
  can 
  take. 
  " 
  The 
  transfer 
  of 
  energy 
  into 
  any 
  

   animate 
  material 
  system 
  is 
  attended 
  by 
  effects 
  conducive 
  

   to 
  the 
  transfer, 
  and 
  retardative 
  of 
  dissipation." 
  On 
  what 
  

   this 
  peculiar 
  power 
  depends 
  Professor 
  Joly 
  does 
  not 
  tell 
  us 
  

   that 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  life; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  interesting 
  

   to 
  get 
  from 
  a 
  physicist 
  a 
  clear 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  dynamic 
  

   contrast 
  between 
  animate 
  and 
  inanimate 
  material 
  systems. 
  

   The 
  animate 
  system 
  is 
  aggressive 
  on 
  the 
  energy 
  available 
  

   to 
  it, 
  spends 
  it 
  with 
  economy, 
  and 
  invests 
  it 
  with 
  interest, 
  

   till 
  death 
  finally 
  deprives 
  it 
  of 
  all." 
  

  

  