IV THE CELL AND THE ORGANISM 6i 



This organic regulation and synthesis of functions is seen not 

 only in all the ordinary functions of organisms, but more especially 

 in their capacity for self-restoration in case of mutilation. In such 

 phenomena there seems to be something more in actual operation 

 than merely the parts ; the parts appear to play a common part and 

 to carry out some common purpose or to act for the common well- 

 being. They seem to respond to some central pressure. There seems 

 to be a central regulator. We have seen a factor in matter making 

 for structure; we now see a factor in organism making for central 

 regulation and co-ordination of all parts. We are evidently in the 

 presence of some inner factor in Evolution which requires identifi- 

 cation and description. That will be attempted in the next chapter. 



The atom and the cell are the two fundamental structures 

 in the universe that we at present know of — the atom being 

 the unit of the world of matter, the cell the unit of the world 

 of life. In the last chapter we considered the structure of 

 the atom and showed how the external properties of the 

 atom were the expression and resultant of its internal ener- 

 gies and their structural grouping inside the atom. We 

 saw the atom as a little complex world of its own, under- 

 lying the outward properties as well as the field of that 

 little world. We now pass on to consider the vastly more 

 complicated little world of the cell and its field. In the 

 science of life the two most significant conceptions are 

 Evolution and the Cell, the one being the unit structure 

 and the other the general character and trend of the activi- 

 ties or functions of life. Round the investigation and 

 development of these two governing conceptions most of 

 the progress and interest in biological science since the 

 middle of the nineteenth century have centred; and the 

 results hitherto obtained have been most important, and 

 practically revolutionary for our entire world-conception. 

 And the end is by no means in sight yet. In the first 

 chapter we saw that there were still deep-seated misunder- 

 standings of the nature of Evolution, and that a proper 

 appreciation of Evolution would mean a recasting not only 

 of biological concepts but also, and above all, of our concept 

 of matter. Let us now turn to the cell as the other and 

 no doubt the real governing factor of the situation of life, 



