Sketch of an Organismal Theory of Consciousness 325 



chemical laboratory "is rapidly gaining ground," should be 

 recalled, as should also the opinion of Hopkins : "the chem- 

 ical response of the tissues to the chemical stimulus of foreign 

 substances of simple constitution is of profound biological 

 significance," and that further study of the phenomena "must 

 throw vivid light on the potentialities of the tissue labora- 

 tories." So far this chemical laboratory conception of the 

 tissues may be said to be strictly chemical; but let us recall 

 what the interpretation is when it passes from chemistry in 

 the exclusive sense to physical chemistry and becomes more 

 specific as to the laboratory apparatus, as one may say, 

 through which the "tissues" work. In other words, recall 

 the conception of the cell and its mode of operating, as 

 viewed by physical chemistry. The quotations given in 

 Chapter 4 may well be repeated in part : ". . . the living 

 cell as we now know it is not a mass of matter composed of a 

 congregation of like molecules, but a highly differentiated 

 system ; the cell in the modern phraseology of physical chem- 

 istry, is a system of coexisting phases of different consti- 

 tutions." 15 Then from this review our own contention, set 

 forth especially in Chapter 7, that wherever in such state- 

 ments as those just quoted from Hopkins "the term cell oc- 

 curs the term organism really ought to be used." 



It is important for our cause generally that the full 

 weight of our argument in support of the view that on the 

 strictly physical plane, the organism rather than the ceU 

 is really the equilibration system toward which physico- 

 chemical knowledge is tending, should be in the reader's con- 

 sciousness. At this point if, consequently, this is not so, 

 he is urged to read what is said on the point in Chapters 

 4 and 7 especially. 



Our central purpose now is to show that the organismal 

 hypothesis of consciousness articulates directly and natur- 

 ally with the same conception of the organism. Undoubtedly 

 it is in the emotional phase of psychic life that this articu- 



