﻿ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  119 
  

  

  when 
  we 
  consider 
  any 
  function 
  in 
  its 
  totality. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  

   correlated 
  sequence 
  of 
  events, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  correlation 
  that 
  

   is 
  characteristic. 
  One 
  group 
  of 
  cells 
  has 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  do 
  its 
  

   own 
  work, 
  but 
  has 
  to 
  keep 
  in 
  exact 
  co-ordination 
  with 
  the 
  

   working 
  of 
  other 
  groups, 
  sometimes 
  at 
  a 
  distance. 
  It 
  goes 
  

   without 
  saying 
  that 
  we 
  know 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  about 
  this 
  internal 
  

   regulation 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  expect 
  action 
  without 
  means 
  but 
  we 
  

   cannot 
  give 
  a 
  complete 
  chemico-physical 
  account 
  of 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  achieved 
  by 
  the 
  nervous 
  system, 
  sometimes 
  by 
  the 
  

   blood, 
  sometimes 
  by 
  internal 
  secretions. 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  S. 
  Haldane 
  

   points 
  out 
  that 
  " 
  a 
  minute 
  and 
  scarcely 
  measurable 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  ion 
  concentration 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  excites 
  the 
  

   respiratory 
  centre 
  of 
  a 
  normal 
  warm-blooded 
  animal 
  to 
  in- 
  

   tense 
  activity. 
  Similar 
  minute 
  alterations 
  in 
  the 
  con- 
  

   centration 
  of 
  water, 
  or 
  sugar, 
  or 
  sodium 
  chloride, 
  or 
  hydro- 
  

   gen 
  ions, 
  kave 
  a 
  corresponding 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  secretory 
  

   action 
  of 
  the 
  kidney." 
  It 
  might 
  be 
  thought 
  that 
  a 
  multi- 
  

   plication 
  of 
  items 
  of 
  facts 
  of 
  this 
  sort 
  would 
  eventually 
  give 
  

   us 
  precisely 
  what 
  we 
  want 
  a 
  coherent 
  description 
  of 
  inte- 
  

   gration. 
  But 
  that 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  view 
  as 
  yet, 
  for 
  we 
  have 
  always 
  

   to 
  unite 
  the 
  chemico-physical 
  facts 
  by 
  vital 
  links, 
  by 
  pos- 
  

   tulating 
  primary 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  organism, 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  

   Lecture 
  III., 
  which 
  remain 
  unreduced. 
  Unless 
  we 
  do 
  this 
  

   we 
  cannot 
  explain 
  how 
  the 
  numerous 
  activities 
  work 
  in 
  a 
  

   variable 
  way 
  into 
  one 
  another's 
  hands, 
  how 
  they 
  are 
  co- 
  

   ordinated 
  in 
  a 
  harmonious 
  result, 
  how 
  they 
  are 
  adjusted 
  in 
  

   a 
  regulatory 
  fashion 
  to 
  the 
  changeful 
  environmental 
  con- 
  

   ditions. 
  

  

  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  a 
  furnace 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  thorough 
  combustion 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  with- 
  

   in 
  a 
  given 
  time, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  arrangements 
  to 
  prevent 
  waste, 
  

   and 
  so 
  on. 
  It 
  can 
  be 
  kept 
  from 
  exceeding 
  a 
  certain 
  limit, 
  if 
  

  

  