THE FUNCTIONAL ORDER 



the harmonious dynamic cellular balance. The functional order is 

 the result of the interplay of the hereditary material, of the enzymes, 

 of the metabolism, and of the dual feedback mechanism. The 

 metabolism itself is the result of the interaction of enzymes and 

 food, as proyided by the environment. 



In a computer, an essential part is the comparator. Its function 

 is to compare the result of the \vork done by the machine with 

 the information fed to the computer. When the work does not 

 fit, it is simply suppressed. There is no such thing as a comparator 

 in a microorganism. Instead, each organism takes part in a compe- 

 tition, the struggle for life, in which the functional values of the 

 different types are compared. The comparison is a functional one. 

 Evolution has necessarily selected the fittest types. 



A specific function can only be the expression of a specific 

 structure. The living organism has been defined as an independent 

 unit of integrated structures and functions. This formula should 

 now take on its full significance. Structures and functions are the 

 complementary aspects of life. The organism is a functional system 

 of order. 



REFERENCES 



Gaebler, O. H., ed. (1956). E?izy??!es: U?iits of Biological Structure and Func- 

 tion (Henry Ford Hospital, International Symposium). Academic Press, 

 New York. 



McElroy, W. D., and Glass, B., eds. (1958). A Syinposium on the Chertiical 

 Basis of Develop7Hent. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore. 



Alonod, J. (1959). Biosynthese eines Enzyms. Information, Induktion, Repres- 

 sion. Angew. Che?me, 11, 685-691. 



Wolstenholme, G. E. W., and O'Connor, C. M., eds. (1958). Ciba Foundation 

 Symposium on the Regidation of Cell Metabolism. Little, Brown and Com- 

 pany, Boston. 



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