ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND THE LIVING 



ORGANISM 



Living organisms, both unicellular and multicellular, 

 have many characteristics which are similar to those of 

 the elementary atoms — to wit their localized individuali- 

 ties which they maintain in spite of a changing environ- 

 ment, their striving to complete their structures accord- 

 ing to predetermined patterns, their spontaneity of ac- 

 tion and arbitrariness of behavior, their symmetrical and 

 centralized organizations, and their rounded contours. 



Another property which living organisms probably 

 have in common with the atoms of matter is the posses- 

 sion of mind and consciousness. In the higher animals 

 consciousness originates in the central nervous system, 

 and is probably nothing else than the subjective aspect 

 thereof. Now what is there in the structure of the cen- 

 tral nervous system that causes it to have consciousness? 

 It can be nothing other than its centralized organisation 

 — some peculiar system of coordination which causes the 

 entire system to function as a unitary and indivisible en- 

 tity. But if centralization of structure produces con- 

 sciousness in the central nervous system, then there 

 should be consciousness wherever there is a similar cen- 

 tralization of structure, as for example in the atom. 

 Since it has been shown by the researches of P. Lenard 

 and E. Rutherford that the elementary atoms have cen- 

 tralized structures, it may reasonably be assumed that 

 they also possess consciousness. (Centralization of 

 structure is all that was actually proved by the deflection 

 experiments on which the nuclear theory of atomic struc- 

 ture was based. The existence of an atomic nucleus con- 

 taining within it the entire mass of the atom is merely a 

 gratuitous assumption.) 



Since the living organism has so many features in 

 common with the atom, it appears that the study of pro- 



