l6 THE BIOLOGICAL PROBLEM 



organism, or whether they consider it as an element of a social 

 whole. It is difficult to study certain insects, for example, with- 

 out taking into consideration the role of the individual in the 

 superior unity, namely the hive, the ant-hill or the termi- 

 tarium, inasmuch as the individuals differ largely by tlieir 

 morphological and physiological characters, according to the 

 part attributed to them: warriors, workers, queens, or males. 



These observations do not entirely eliminate planned 

 experimentation. The great entomologist Fabre describes 

 ingenious experiments which were suggested to him by the 

 attentive examination of the habits of insects. The naturalist 

 can intentionally introduce an alteration or a disturbance in 

 the conditions of natural phenomena and make destructive 

 experiments with the aim of ascertaining in vivo the use of 

 organs the functions of which are not evident. 



In brief, this class of methods tries to comprehend the 

 organism as a whole. Similar to a jet of water of unvarying 

 aspect, to a stream for ever following the same bed, to the 

 flame of a candle, or to any other system which conserves its 

 form although composed of ever-renewed and ever-fugitive 

 particles, a living being is a system the fixity of which is only 

 apparent. It owes the constancy of its form, of its aspects, 

 and of its mean composition to the evolutive correlation of 

 the phenomena of which it is the seat. But we hasten to add 

 that there is a striking difference between the maintenance of 

 the 'stationary systems' just mentioned and the renovations 

 which are characteristic of the living being. The stationary 

 system is only a witness to the constancy, in time, of an 

 indefinitely repeated phenomenon. According to Ostwald it 

 is the passive result of this regularity. On the other hand, 

 nutrition in hving organisms consists of an aggregate of 

 numerous, variable phenomena. The ensuing morphological 

 permanence is an indication of the active part played by the 

 organism which is its seat. This activity is all the more 

 evidence that these systems evolve, develop according to a 

 constant order, and reproduce themselves. 



The idea of studying individually each of the elementary 



