1903.] on Beeent Advances in Stf.reocliemistry. 311 



into its optically active components. This question involves the 

 introduction of an enantiomorphous agency at some period during 

 the evolutionary development of living matter. In attributing 

 difficulty to the solution of this residuary problem, Dr. Japp implies 

 that the enantiomorphous agency, the co-operation of which is 

 essential, must be an intelligent agency. Let us ask ourselves 

 whether the enantiomorphous agency premised is necessarily other 

 than one acting fortuitously. The assumption of a fortuitously enan- 

 tiomorphous agency is certainly all that need be made to explain the 

 building up of many enantiomorphous systems. The dead universe 

 itself, as we know it, is enantiomorphous, but this fact has never been 

 regarded as a valid argument against the current hypothesis as to 

 the cosmic origin of our planet. Some degree of obscurity is, 

 however, introduced into the discussion of the primitive origin of the 

 optically active substances now produced by animals and plants by 

 the probability that ages of evolution have transformed the primeval 

 optically active substance into multitudes of other and more complex 

 products, have, in fact, accentuated the enantiomorphism to such an 

 extent that physiological chemistry is now almost entirely the 

 chemistry of enantiomorphous substances. If in any particular case, 

 however, we can show that an optically active substance can be 

 locally accumulated, by the aid of some enantiomorphous agency 

 acting purely fortuitously, it will be clear that the formation of the 

 first optically active substance was not necessarily the work of an 

 intelligent enantiomorphous agency. Such a species of separation of 

 an optically active substance from a compensated one can be readily 

 brought about in the laboratory. Pasteur showed that on crystal- 

 lising the sodium ammonium salt of compensated tartaric acid 

 (racemic acid) at ordinary temperature, large crystals separate ; each 

 of these consists of the salt of one or other of the d- and 1- tartaric 

 acids, the separation being brought about by the first of the Pasteur 

 methods. If one of these crystals be selected casually, without the 

 exercise of any selective intelligence, and used as a nucleus for 

 inducing the crystallisation of further large quantities of the original 

 solution, it will cause the separation of salt of its own kind ; and 

 ultimately a large quantity of salt of one of the optically active 

 tartaric acids can be accumulated as the result of the introduction of 

 an enantiomorphous agency such as might act fortuitously in a non- 

 living universe. The probability of such a fortuituous agency 

 arising would naturally be far greater in a living universe. 



Again, suppose that, at its origin, life was carried on nou- 

 enantiomorphously, and that it involved the consumption and the 

 production only of non-enantiomorphous substances and of com- 

 pensated mixtures ; it may well be foreseen that a stage in develop- 

 ment might arise when each individual, in view of the increasing 

 complexity of his vital processes, would have to decide to use only 

 the one enantiomorphous component of his compensated food and so 

 evade an otherwise necessary duplication of his digestive apparatus. 

 Vol. XVII. (No. 97.) y 



