to create and multiply, aitributable to the progressix'c depletion of the nucleus- 

 forming substance . . . The number of generations of cells that can develop in 

 the course of a whole lifetime from the fertilized egg, thanks to its original store 

 of creative energy, also determines longevity and hence the maximum length of 

 life that can be attained by various organisms . . . The quantity of this creative 

 energy seems to be standardized for each species . . ." This theory, as formulated 

 in several variations by Butschli (1882) and J. Loeb (1903, 1908), cannot be 

 subjected to critical evaluation within the scope of this review. This has been 

 done in an excellent fashion in a monograph by A. \'. Nagorniy (1940). The 

 basic objection to the theory is the fact that after millions of years of existence of 

 life, this hypothetical sul)stance would long since have been used up (in the 

 very first generations of living matter). 



During the 80's of the last century, some excellent studies appeared, 

 written by I. M. Sechenov, on the physiology of the central nervous system. 

 Some of them contain very extensive discussions of problems relating to the 

 origin of the higher forms of behavior in the early ontogenesis of man. In his 

 work entitled "For whom and how should psychology be developed?" (1873), 

 Sechenov gives the classic definition of the tasks of materialistic psychology: 



"(1) Psychology should study the history of the genesis of the individual 

 elements of the picture. ^ 



"(2) It should study the method by which the individual elements are 

 joined into a continuous whole. 



"(3) Finally, it should study those springs [tr.: 'triggering mechanisms'?] 

 that determine each new development of psychic activity after an interval." 



In other words, if we translate these expressions into scientific language: 



(1) Psychology must study the history of development of feelings, concepts, 

 thoughts, sensations, and so forth. 



(2) It must then study the combinations of all these species and genera of 

 mental activities with one another . . . 



(3) Finally, it must study the reproduction of mental activity. ^ 

 "On the basis of all its content, scientific psychology cannot be anything 



other than a series of studies on the origin of mental activities."^ 



In "Elements of thought" (1878), Sechenov indicated, one after another, 

 the stages of the ontogenetic formation of higher nervous activity (behavior) in 

 the child. He asserted that "in the mental life of man, only early infancy pre- 

 sents cases of the actual genesis of thought of ideational states from psychological 

 products of a lower form, which do not have the character of thought. It is 

 only here that observation reveals the existence of a period in which man does 

 not think, and after this the ability to think gradually makes its appearance."^ 

 I, M. Sechenov was the first to work on the ontogenetic physiology of 

 higher nervous activity. 



' Higher nervous activity, V. N. 



2 I. M. Sechenov: Collected works. 152, p. 208. 



' Ibid., p. 209. 



* Ibid., p. 272. 



