INTERRELATIONS AMONG COMPONENTS 413 



states the glands are dispensable. Again, the rapid turnover of 

 water in a frog, in quantitative contrast to that in a man, accom- 

 panies formation of nrine always hypotonic to the blood plasma, 

 immersion in fresh water, and absorbent skin. The frog's normal 

 state depends upon them all, and the impression is gained that any 

 other combination of properties would be incompatible. 



Interrelations and interactions among components that are 

 under increment are properly connoted by the term syndrome. 

 This term has the present advantage of emphasizing the total 

 nature of the physiological state instead of some supposed mechani- 

 cal relation among parts or components. 



In general, interrelations among components may be estab- 

 lished and appreciated without knowledge of the lines of mutual 

 communication or influence. Interrelations are the substance of 

 physiological science. Several illustrations serve to indicate that 

 the unforeseen character of the relations is so common as to be no 

 barrier to the acceptance of all correlations that are statistically 

 significant. Compatibility among properties is visible in every 

 maintenance and recovery of those properties. 



§ 149. General features 



In the data and interrelations here presented, certain character- 

 istics may be discerned. What particular and what general con- 

 clusions may be drawn 1 How may the methods illustrated furnish 

 a synthetic picture of the physiological patterns of the organism? 

 (1) First some characteristics of the diagrams here employed 

 may be mentioned. Diagrams were constructed in which load of 

 one component was plotted against load of another component (fig- 

 ures 184, 185, 186). (a) The broader the *4oop" (ratio of its small- 

 est diameter to its largest diameter) the greater is the difference 

 in rates of net exchange of the two loads. Scales might be propor- 

 tioned for this purpose by taking maximal loads as equal coordinate 

 units. 



(h) When no *'loop" is present, correlation of the two loads 

 is very high ; the correlation is then almost independent of time. 



(c) The departures from an oblique line connecting the 

 points of initial state and of stationary or extreme state, are often 

 equal upon the two sides of it. This symmetry means that loading 

 and unloading of the two components bear similar relations to one 

 another. 



