THE OEIGIN OF LIFE — ARMSTROITG. 537 



day, but are disregarded to the present day. There is little that is 

 mysterious about them; all that is required is a proper arrangement 

 of parts. To give an example, a lump of zinc in diluted sulphuric 

 acid constitutes a binary system brimful of latent energy — of energy 

 awaiting transformation but untransformable so long as the system 

 remains binary. On coupling the conjoined metal and acid by means 

 of a relatively electronegative conductor, however, interaction at 

 once sets in, the metal attacks the acid and the acid tlie metal and 

 energy is set free — primarily as electricity, secondarily as heat. 

 Nothing can stop the transformation if the ternary system be consti- 

 tuted. Apparently no special energy transformer is required, but 

 merely a proper arrangement of parts. Given the proper arrangement, 

 action is bound to take place, provided always that the system be 

 one in which there is an overplus of energy. 



And here comes the rub. In the case of organisms, not a few 

 changes take place which can only occur if energy be supplied. The 

 assimilation of carbon by plants is a case in point. Ordinarily this is 

 effected through the agency of sunlight; but it is clear that in some 

 cases, as hi the fermentation of sugar, for example, energy set free 

 in a change takhig place in one part of a complex molecule may serve 

 to make up a deficiency preventing the spontaneous occurrence of a 

 change of the reverse order in another part of the molecule. It is an 

 important office of the protoplasmic complex apparently to "negoti- 

 ate" such exchange or transference of energy. 



With reference to Dr. Haldane's statement that we can not express 

 the observed facts by means of physical and chemical conceptions but 

 must have recourse to the conception of organic unity, I am at a loss 

 hi the fu'st place to understand what this conception is, if it be in- 

 consistent with chemical conceptions. I am afraid tlie vague m- 

 determinate phases of the philosopher make little appeal to the hard 

 heart of the fact worshipper. My position is that while we do not 

 attempt to account for that we do not understand or can no.t express 

 clearly, all that we do understand is well withm our compass to ex- 

 plain; moreover that our power of understandhig is growing every day. 



I do not see how Prof. Schafer and those of us who arc with him 

 can be said to have ignored the actual fact of the maintenance in 

 ' 'organic unity" of the numerous physical and chemical processes 

 which we can distinguish within the living body. It is far from 

 being the fact that "The more detailed and exact our loiowledge 

 has become of the marvelous intricacies of structure and function 

 within the living body the more difficult or rather the more com- 

 pletely impossible has any physico-chemical theory of nutrition and 

 reproduction become." Or that "the difficulty stands out in its 

 fullest prominence in connection with the phenomena of reproduc- 

 tion and heredity." 



