58 Can Science Explain Life? 



division, we must assume that growth takes place 

 in a direction longitudinally of the spirazines. 

 The cohesion of such a structure in a direction 

 longitudinally of the spirazines must be due prin- 

 cipally to the spirazines themselves, and since the 

 number of spirazines in the nuclear structure re- 

 mains constant during growth of the individual 

 cell, the cohesive strength thereof must also re- 

 main constant. The efforts of the spirazines to 

 hold the structure together is opposed by the 

 mutual repulsion of any intermediate groups that 

 may be present, such as the side chains attached 

 to the alpha carbon atoms or any fat or carbo- 

 hydrate groups that may have been formed within 

 the interstices of this structure. With this con- 

 stantly increasing accumulation of intermediate 

 groups it would not be difficult to account for a 

 constantly increasing tendency to expand, and as 

 soon as the cohesive strength of the spirazines is 

 overcome the structure will divide into two equal 

 halves. 



The typical nucleated cell may contain several 

 radically different kinds of self-perpetuating 

 bodies, namely the chromosomes, the central 

 bodies, and the plastids. Although there is a 

 considerable amount of cooperation between these 

 three as they pass through the successive stages 



