272 WHAT IS LIFE 



3. The definition of death, which describes death 

 as the severance of the intraatomic quantity, "life," 

 (which determines the Hving state of the organism) 

 from the matter (or body) of the organism. 



With this law and these definitions established by 

 laboratory test, it would seem that proof of the theory 

 would be complete. For, clearly, the law of growth, 

 the involved theory of the origin of species, and the 

 other conclusions which are offered, all follow from 

 the simple law of the structure of living matter, when 

 the details of this law are carefully considered and 

 interpreted in keeping with the established facts of 

 atomic physics. 



Of course, it may be urged that since the theory 

 afiirms the specific general condition that is necessary 

 to initiate life, that is, to transform non-living matter 

 into "living matter," and supplies a more or less defi- 

 nite picture of the transition from non-life to life, the 

 question of proof of the theory concerning the origin 

 of life must include experimental abiogenesis. 



Proof of the theory as related to experimental 

 abiogenesis, obviously can come only from the physi- 

 cal chemistry laboratory. The physical chemist, as 

 such, is the only person who is qualified to try to 

 transform non-living matter into living matter in 

 his laboratory. In his hands, the research should 

 not be too difficult. 



