212 life's beginning on the earth 



The origin of the rays is in certain chemical reactions in 

 living tissues, as is shown by the possibility of producing 

 rays through chemical reactions outside the body, in a 

 test-tube. If any tissue sends out rays, it does so even if it 

 is crushed to a pulp, showing again that it is not the living 

 tissue as such which radiates, but the chemical reactions 

 which occur in it. 



Of particular interest is the finding of Gurwitsch and his 

 associates that cancer-tissue emits a stronger and different 

 type of rays. This may be a factor in the pernicious spread 

 and growth of malignant cancers. 



In view of the importance of the mitogenetic radiation, 

 it seems strange that its presence has escaped the attention 

 of scientists for such a long time, although we have long- 

 known of a great variety of special biological light-effects 

 and light-emissions, such as the carbon dioxide assimilation 

 of plants, which are influenced by light as described above. 

 Failure to observe mitogenetic radiation (prior to Gur- 

 witsch) may be due to the extremely low intensity of these 

 rays. This is their outstanding physical property. It is 

 very difficult, therefore, to trace this radiation independ- 

 ently; for instance, by the photographic plate. By the 

 biological methods described, the radiation can be traced 

 merely because of the marked sensitivity of the growing- 

 cell. 



All these experiments show the great difficulties involved 

 in the exploration of the very feeble forces which play an 

 all important role in life processes, being comparable to the 

 proverbial drops hollowing a stone. Gurwitsch has dis- 

 covered some of these forces, in a lifetime of painstaking 

 research work in the laboratory, and reported on his findings 

 in numerous articles in scientific journals and some books. 

 He has also developed a school of experimentation, in his 

 home land, far away Russia. But unfortunately the rest 

 of the world has not been able yet to learn of his skill in this 

 delicate work. 



