V GROWTH IN TIME OF THE TOTAL ORGANISM 1 73 



"microphysics", from classical thermodynamics to statistical mechanics, from 

 classic Mendelism to the theory of the gene, etc. 



2. On the other hand, the fact that a "macroscopic" phenomenon (at any 

 arbitrary level) is the result of complex, numerous, unaccountable or even 

 unknown component processes, does not preclude the statement of overall models 

 and laws. Historically, "molar" theories and laws often precede "molecular" 

 ones; and "molar" and "molecular" descriptions complement each other. 



These statements also are evidenced by examples from all fields of science. 

 For instance, the so-called mechanistic attitude in biology demanding that all 

 phenomena in the living world be reduced to laws of physics and chemistry 

 implies the assumption that the latter are fundamental and simpler than those at 

 the biological level. This was a sound working hypothesis so long as it was expected 

 that the total of physical phenomena could be reduced to the model of Laplacean 

 mechanics. It turned out, however, that the postulate of leductionism is far from 

 being attained even in physics. The organization of an atomic nucleus is almost 

 as complex and problematic as that of a living cell or organism; there are, at 

 present (1958) some 28 fundamental particles found in nature or produced by the 

 modern accelerators which are not accounted for by theory. However, the fact 

 that they are not "reduced" to elementary laws of ultimate entities (as was 

 supposed in the mechanistic doctrine expecting all natural phenomena to be 

 resolvable into mechanical mass-points governed by a Laplacean formula) does 

 not detract from the value of the various fields of "macrophysics", mechanics, 

 electrodynamics, thermodynamics, etc. which remain perfectly valid so far as 

 they go. 



The same principle can be seen in the various branches of science. In thermo- 

 dynamics, it is impossible to account for the individual behavior of the enormous 

 number of molecules in a gas; but the overall result is expressed by statistical laws. 

 In biochemistry, phenomena such as photosynthesis or respiration are the outcome 

 of some dozens of enzymatic step reactions many of which are insuflftciently 

 known; but this does not obviate the overall or "molar" equation, CgHj,©^ + 

 6O2 = 6H2CO3 + 674kcal. Even inorganic reactions such as the formation of 

 halogen hydrates which are deceivingly simple are, in fact, a balance or system 

 of many partial reactions (Skrabal, 1949, 1951)- I^ physiology, basal metabolic 

 rate is the outcome of innumerable and largely unknown processes of intermediary 

 metabolism; nevertheless, it follows simple relations such as the surface rule 

 (p. 181) and is used in routine diagnostic procedure. In economics, happenings 

 are the result of innumerable factors, activities of individuals, machines, social 

 groups, etc. ; but these can be expressed in balance sheets, and economic laws 

 may fairly express, and allow prediction of the overall outcome. 



It is, therefore, not a naive oversimplification to seek overall organismic laws 

 in processes that result from a complex multitude of component processes. This 

 is only a special case of the fact that "laws of nature" are, in principle, possible 

 at any level of observation and reality, and of the paradox that a multitude of 

 component processes may obey rather simple laws as a whole. As in any case, 

 the sole criterion is that the model works, that is, yields "dividends" in the sense 

 explained above. 



Literature p. 253 



