A PROPOS D'UN TRAVAIL DU Dr C. S. MINOT 



SUR LA 



DISTINCTION DES ANIMAUX ET DES VÉGÉTAUX 



Par P. -A. DANGEARD 



Nous lisons dans « The Botanical Gazette », n° 6, juin 

 1895, p. 280: 



« In Science (mars 22d), the paper of D"" C. S. Minot, 

 read at the récent meeting of the American Society of 

 Morphologists, on the « fundamental différence between 

 plants and animais » is published in full. The formai défi- 

 nitions are as follows : « Animais arc organisms which 

 take part of their food in the form of concret parti- 

 clés, which are lodged in the cell protoplasm by 

 the activity of the protoplasm itself : plantes are 

 organisms which obtain ail their food in either the 

 liquid or gazeous form by osmosis (diffusion) ». The 

 interesting spéculation is offered « that the absorption 

 of solid particles of food is to be considercd one ofthe 

 most essential factors in determiningthe évolution ofthe 

 animal kingdom ». « The plant receives its food passively 

 by absorption, and the évolution ofthe plant world has 

 been dominated by the tendency to increase the external 

 surfaces, to make leaves and roots. The animal, on the 

 contrary, has to obtain at least the solid part of its food 

 by its own active slruggle to secure food we may safely 



