CHAPTER XXXVII 

 DEATH AND DISSOLUTION 



It is easy to show that these differences in temperature which are required 

 to secure oroanic hquids from ultimate chauffc depend exclusively upon the state 

 of the liquids, their nature and above all upon the conditions which affect their 

 neutrality whether towards acids or bases." Pasteur. 



It has been said that death is a necessary stage in the process 

 of development. Riibner considers that death takes place naturally 

 after the organism has utilised a certain amount of energy per 

 kilogram. His second law, that of " length of life," is as follows, 

 " The amount of energy cons^imed in a kilogram of living protoplasm 

 from maturity to death is constant for all animals {and equals 

 191,600 Calories), except in the case of man, zvho uses up four times 

 as much.^^ Be that as it may, and no adequate proof of its truth 

 is offered, it does not serve as a guide to any reasonable physico- 

 chemical explanation of the process. An inorganic piece of 

 machinery will last an indefinite time provided it is kept in repair 

 and parts are renewed before they ha\'e become too much worn. 

 As long as suitable energy, etc., is supplied the machine will run. 

 The human machine, with its large repair staff always " on the 

 spot " and with plentifid supplies of material and energ}', begins 

 to show signs of failure after 35 or 40 years of life. The curve 

 of growth, development and efficiency each shows a maximum 

 and then decline sets in. 



Length of life is specific for each species and seems to be related 

 to the time taken by the animal to reach sexual maturity. With 

 that consimmiation, changes take place in the whole organism 

 leading, according to Loeb following Metchnikoff, to the (unavoid- 

 able) formation in the body of some toxin or, as more modern 

 work suggests, to the inhibition of the formation of an endocrine 

 secretion. 



Death is followed by a more or less rapid dissolution of the body, 

 a process whose mechanism is more easily followed. The lack 

 of oxygen in the tissues leads, as we have seen, to the accunndation 

 of acids. This, after death of the organism, occms in every tissue, 

 but it may also be demonstrated in cases where a particular 

 organ or region of the body is deprived of its quota of oxygen. 

 By the administration of certain drugs, e.g. anaesthetics, heavy 



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