PROTOPLASM 23 



the total chemical composition and the general character remain practi- 

 cally the same. Life itself is ceaseless change. When this protoplasmic 

 organization becomes fixed and no longer capable of change, it has suffered 

 that which we call death. Very soon after death reanimation under any 

 conditions becomes impossible because changes supervene which destroy 

 the very organization itself. 



It is true that seeds and even some animals may be dried under proper 

 conditions and exist for a long time in a dormant state. That the organi- 

 zation remains intact and its capacity to undergo the changes which 

 accompany life is unimpaired is shown by the fact that when placed 

 under suitable conditions life activities are soon resumed. 



31, Life Is a Consequence or Concomitant of Organization.— Living 

 matter, then, is not living because it contains certain elements, for 

 none of these elements is characteristic of life. All the chemical sub- 

 stances which enter into protoplasm might be collected theoretically 

 in proper proportions, but the mixture would not be protoplasm. Life 

 is possible only when the organization which has been referred to above 

 is effected; and when that organization is brought about, the other 

 chemical and physical characteristics of protoplasm also become added to 

 it. Protoplasm has been termed the "physical basis of life" and it is such 

 in the sense that it furnishes the physical organization and the attendant 

 conditions that make life possible. 



