LOEB'S "THE MECHANISTIC CONCEPTION OF LIFE" 1 



JAMES R. ANGELL 



The University of Chicago 



This volume brings together ten essays published by the 

 author during the years 1891-1912. The absence of fresh mater- 

 ial is more than made good by the convenience of the compila- 

 tion for readers who desire access to Dr. Loeb's views and who 

 cannot well follow his brilliant but scattered writings in the 

 scientific journals. 



The book takes its title from the opening essay, which is a 

 general presentation of the thesis that life phenomena can all 

 be adequately explained in physico-chemical terms, and that no 

 other terms can ever be final. The remaining essays afford 

 specific instances of the application of the thesis, and cover such 

 topics as tropisms, the physiology of the central nervous sys- 

 tem, pattern adaptation and physiological morphology, the pro- 

 cess of egg fertilization, artificial parthenogenesis, the role of 

 salts in the preservation of life, and the influence of environment 

 on animals. In each case experimental evidence is adduced to 

 show how the special phenomena under consideration may be 

 explained by chemical or physical principles. 



Only two of the essays contain material directly related to 

 the interests of this journal, i.e., that on tropisms and that on 

 facts and conceptions concerning the comparative physiology of 

 the cential nervous system. We shall, therefore, confine our 

 attention to certain issues raised in these chapters, and first 

 consider the case of the tropism. Be it said at once that we 

 waive all discussion of the purely physiological and zoological 

 questions upon which the authorities are at variance. It is 

 well understood that Loeb's view of tropistic reactions does not 

 enjoy universal support among zoologists. For the present pur- 

 pose we may assume the theory to be correct. 



Three propositions substantially express Dr. Loeb's main con- 

 tentions in the matter, (r) In tropistic organisms, owing to the 



x The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1912, pp. 232 



464 



