SCOPE OF BIOLOGY. 7 



lie within the province of biology. The science includes both 

 zoology and botany, dealing with the phenomena of animal 

 and vegetal life not only separately, but in their relations to one 

 another. The term General Biology does riot designate a par- 

 ticular member of the group of biological sciences, but is only 

 a convenient phrase, which has recently come into use for the 

 general introductory study of biology. It includes a descrip- 

 tion of the general properties of living matter as revealed in the 

 structures and actions of living things, and may serve as the 

 basis for subsequent study of more special branches of the 

 science. It deals with the broad characteristic phenomena and 

 laws of life as they are illustrated by the thorough compara- 

 tive study of a series of plants and animals taken as repre- 

 sentative types ; but in this study the student should never 

 lose sight of the fact that all the varied phenomena which may 

 come under his observation are in the last analysis due to the 

 properties of matter in the living state, and that this matter and 

 these properties are the real goal of the study. 



The Biological Sciences. The field covered by biology as thus 

 understood is so wide as to necessitate a subdivision of the subject 

 into a number of branches which are usually assigned the rank of 

 distinct sciences. They are arranged in a tabular view on p. 8. 

 The table shows two different ways of dividing the main subject, 

 according as the table is read from left to right or vice versa. Ac- 

 cording to the more usual arrangement biology is primarily divided 

 into zoology and botany, according as animals or plants respec- 

 tively, form the subject of study. Such a division has the great 

 advantage of practical convenience since, as a matter of fact, most 

 biologists devote their attention mainly either to plants alone, or 

 to animals alone. From a scientific point of view, however, a better 

 subdivision is into Morphology (;/op0//, t /wv;i/ hoyos, a discourse') 

 and Physiology (0ucrzs, nature Xoyos, a discourse). The former 

 is based upon the facts of form, structure, and arrangement, and 

 is essentially statical ; the latter upon those of action or function, 

 and is essentially dynamical. But morphology and physiology are 

 so intimately related that it is impossible to separate either subject 

 absolutelv from the other. 



/ 



Besides the sub-sciences given upon the table a distinct branch 

 called ^Etiology is often recognized, having for its object the in- 

 vestigation of the causes of biological phenomena. But the 



