Henriksen, A Functional view of Development. | < | 



then ask how does the number and size of these correspond to 

 the size of the developing organism and he reeeives a similar ans- 

 wer as before. He finds that the smaller individual often develops 

 from an egg possessing the greater number and the largest chromo- 

 somes and then he is at ses. He may ask further in what lies 

 the power of the egg to develop a certain kind and size of organism 

 similar to that of the parent. They all possess the power of 

 multiplication and therefore of nutrition and growth and the larger 

 perhaps will develop into a microscopic organism and the smaller 

 into one of our larger quadrupeds. He then begins to study about 

 Determinants, Ids, and biophores, etc. So he leaves all these struc- 

 tural theories and tries to find some general tendencies whose 

 underlying causes may be hidden but its phenomena show themselves 

 at every instance. The Suggestion of certain causes here and there 

 may creep out, but he has already learned that all previous 

 theorizing has sooner or later fallen as the science of biology has 

 advanced. 



He finds that the natural is more and more substituted for 

 the supernatural, that the problem of life belongs perhaps to a 

 science of which our physical sciences of to-day know but little. 

 He has seen that out of the isolated science of Physics, Chemistry, 

 Anatomy, Physiology and Paleontology one great science has 

 arisen, i. e., the science of Biology; but still the problem of life 

 seems as far away as ever. As soon as some barriers have been 

 torn down new ones arise. He finds that with our present know- 

 ledge we can expect no real explanation of the phenomena of 

 development, But with his previous knowledge he cannot help 

 but ask himself, does a certain strueture or combination always 

 imply a certain funetion? and he draws analogous illustrations from 

 his chemistry. His attention is first called to the fact that a small 

 change of strueture may cause a great change in the nature of 

 the substance. He knows that the oxygen molecule consists of two 

 atoms and that of ozone of three and still how great a difference 

 there is between these two substances, in the effect on other 

 substances, i. e., in their potential energy. But still the same 

 strueture has the same funetion so even here he cannot have an 

 analogous Illustration of the potentialities of his various kinds of 

 eggs. But when he takes an illustration from physical chemistry 

 he finds the same substances have various physical states. He 

 knows his hydrogen chloride dissolved in Chloroform or benzine 

 has no trace of aeid properties and if dissolved in water is one 

 of the strengest aeids known. Thus he finds at least a ground 

 to stand upon, and satisfies himseld that he has at least analogous 

 cases in chemistry. 



He has already learned from his study of physiology that the 

 strueture of all living substances are constantly changing; where 

 the process of metabolism is going on we find always the two 

 processes, i. e., that of anabolism and of katabolism taking place. 

 Tims he finds that which peculiarizes a certain tissue is its func- 



