The Organism and its Chemistry 111 



much — more, indeed, than they Interest the chemist himself. 

 This special interest of the naturalist in chemical facts and 

 ideas is due to his seeing possibilities in them that the chemist 

 sees but dimly if at all. 



{a) Individuation and Speciiition of '^Organic Matter"" 

 Fundamental Biologic Facts 



That some physiologists are not fully awake to the sig- 

 nificance of certain of their possessions is shown, I think, by 

 the following appraisement of plant productions that are 

 used for drugs : "It is remarkable how great a variety of 

 these active substances are formed by plants. It seems 

 evident that they must be more or less accidental products 

 of chemical change. A very small number would suffice 

 for protection of the plant from being consumed by animals 

 for food. Similar conclusions may be drawn from the oc- 

 currence of adrenaline and a substance related to digitalir. 

 in the *paratoid' glands of a tropical toad, described by 

 Abel. It is impossible to see wiiat use to a toad a rise of 

 blood pressure in the animal which attacks it w ould be." -^ 



The naturalist must object to this view very strenuously. 

 In the first place, he is bound to point out the unquestioned 

 fact that these substances are subject to the law of hered- 

 ity, one of the securest and most probably universal of all 

 the laws thus far established by biology. Hence to pro- 

 nounce the substances accidental is to commit what may 

 justly be characterized as a scientific misdemeanor. Such a 

 pronouncement is about as unsound in the general living 

 realm as would be a declaration that the musical talent is an 

 "accidental" product in the human realm. The really mod- 

 em naturalist has outgrown the old practice of putting aside 

 whatever he can not explain as accidental or abnormal. 



But the naturalist must go on and point out that if the 

 particular plant substances which have won the attention 



