Physical Aspects of Protoplasmic Streaming 233 



lengths of the three components is 90: 87: 44; that is, two of the three 

 components have only slightly different wave lengths, whereas, the 

 other component has a wave length but half as long as the other two. 

 This component of short wave length is responsible for the peculiar 

 asymmetric pattern of the curve. 



Figure 17, showing the resultant of three harmonic components, 

 resembles the experimental curve in Figure 12. The acute crests 

 and flat troughs result from a component whose wave length is half 

 of one of the other components, the wave lengths of which are 



Fig. 16. 



slightly different from each other. The three components of differ- 

 ent wave length are in the ratio 18:17:9. In this case the disturb- 

 ing effect of polarity must be considered. The strength and direction 

 of polarity change during an experiment, as shown in Figure 12, 

 where the true axis (dash-dot line) is not parallel to the base line 

 and crosses it, revealing a reversal of polarity. If one subtracts the 

 ordinates of the true axis, or polarity line, from the ordinates of the 

 curve, and plots these from the same base line, a new curve (dotted) 

 results, which represents the rhythm from which the polarity effect 

 is eliminated. The pattern of the "pure" rhythm (dotted) , after the 

 elimination of the polarity effect, bears a strong resemblance to that 

 in Figure 17. 



It has been shown in the above figures that the series of com- 

 ponents of Figures 15, 16, and 17 give resultants which are very 

 similar to the protoplasmic rhythm experimentally deterinined. 

 These components postulated for the protoplasmic rhythm are pre- 

 sumed not to be purely abstract ones, but to have a real meaning, 

 each functioning separately as a physical entity in the vital system. 

 The motive force measured is regarded as an actiial resultant of 

 intraplasmic interference of various simple harmonic component 

 forces and, in part, of polarity. This concept necessarily implies the 

 co-existence of different frequencies and amplitudes in the motor 

 mechanism of one and the same plasmodium. Dynamoplasmogram 



