326 IV. THE PRINCIPLES OF LIFE PHENOMENA 



much energy is required as for the multiplication of the cell, since 

 the cells are "dead" presumably because the mechanism, whereby the 

 energy required for the cell multiplication is produced has been de- 

 stroyed. It is generally known that the action of proteolytic enzymes 

 is not associated with neither significant expenditure nor recognizable 

 production of energy, whereas viruses are regarded as a kind of enzymes 

 capable of changing the protein structure. Also in view of this fact, 

 it can be concluded that energy is not, or scarcely, needed for the 

 mutliplication of viruses. This conclusion is compatible with the 

 assumption that the primary organisms were generated by the mech- 

 anisms of virus multiplication in the protoplasm-like masses in which 

 no energy-producing system was present. 



The progress of inactivation of phage or of rennin by inactivating 

 agents such as tannin or the respective antisera is occasionally found 

 to be oscillating as if it were a physical phenomenon. Since the protein 

 molecules of the same kind tend to combine with each other to make 

 a single system, each protein molecule in a solution is unable to behave 

 of its own accord but only permitted to act in concert with other 

 molecules. This may be the main reason for the occurrence of oscil- 

 lation. 



Even if molecules in a free state oscillated in their chemical 

 reaction, the oscillation would not come out as such because of their 

 arbitrary behaviour. Protein molecules have a structural reversibility, 

 that is, the changed molecules are striving to recover their original 

 structure ; on account of this property they may rebel against the 

 action of inactivating agents resulting in the reaction which may re- 

 veal itself as the oscillation owing to the mutual combination of the 

 molecules. 



In the protoplasm, the association between the protein molecules 

 is complete, so that oscillation is especially evident in the organisms. 

 The protein molecules are able to freely change their structure owing 

 to the existence of lipids in spite of their orderly association. 



Protoplasm particles, including virus particles, when suspended 

 in a sugar or inorganic salt solution after a manipulation which may 

 cause their structural disturbance, can sometimes absorb and sometimes 

 excrete the solute. This may depend upon the adsorption and elution 

 of the solute according to the change in the protein structure. In this 

 way, organisms can achieve absorption and excretion by changing the 

 structure of protoplasm protein. 



