146 SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE ORGANISM 



these very central problems of biology must be reserved for 

 a future chapter. 



Let us rather restrict ourselves at present, and let us 

 ask : In what sort of natural bodies are entelechies mani- 

 fested, and in what relations do these bodies stand to other 

 bodies in nature ? 



THE CLASSES OF BODIES 



All bodies l may be classified according to two general 

 views : they are either homogeneous or combined, and their 

 form is either accidental or essential. Homogeneous- 

 accidental bodies are called amorphous ; they are without 

 any interest for our present discussion. Combined-accidental 

 bodies play a great role in geology : islands and mountains 

 belong to this class ; their form is given to them from 

 without by processes which are parts of a cumulation, as 

 studied in a chapter of our first volume. Homogeneous- 

 essential bodies are crystals, all typical arrangements of 

 crystals, such as so-called dendrites, and all other varieties 

 of form capable of being assumed by homogeneous matter, 

 such as figures produced by the shrinking of gelatin or 

 albumen or some other material. Combined - essential 

 bodies are organisms and artificial products exclusively. 



One of the great differences between crystals and 

 organisms is that crystals are of the same material nature 

 throughout, while organisms are not. The other fundamental 

 difference relates to their manner of origin. Organisms 



1 We shall not insist here on the problem of what is meant by ''being a 

 body." This question the subject of a theory of matter is not a proper 

 problem of theoretical biology. 



