94 Causes and Course of Organic Evolution 



the difference in the rapidity and complexity of response result 

 is solely due to, and determined by, the molecular structure 

 of each body constituent. But, while it may be granted that 

 this has an important indicative significance on the static or 

 morphological side, it in no way explains the dynamic or physi- 

 ological differences observed. 



In this connection reference might here be made to the sub- 

 stance or "granules of Nissl," considered by animal physiologists 

 as being typical of cerebral and other nerve cells. These in 

 normal condition, or when under sub-maximal stimulation, 

 are abundant and are densely granular in aspect. But from 

 combined observation and experiment it has been shown that 

 ^-ith increasing mental effort the granules becorne less in quan- 

 tity, possibly extremely minute, while after an ensuing rest 

 period they again increase in amount. But this would simply 

 suggest that their material is gradually used up in generating 

 cogitic and, possibly by analytic transformation of this in 

 turn, so much cognitic energy. Detailed consideration of this 

 is made on a later page. i 



Again in relation to developmental evidence it has been 

 noted that, at birth and for some time after, the constituent 

 parts concerned in sight are embryologically imperfect and 

 unconnected with the optic area of the brain {50: 9). So in 

 this and like cases it might be said that the optic-cognitic 

 faculty was not shown, because the conducting apparatus was 

 imperfect. 



Each of the three types of energy then that we have outhned 

 above is capable of being absorbed by, conducted by, and of 

 energizing its appropriate molecular substance, that itself seems 

 to consist of an intra-molecular charge of like energy, around 

 ether particles. Each also acts along the entire biologic scale 

 through which it extends, from its earliest condensation and 

 evolution. Thus the biotic we consider started with the most 

 primitive Acaryota during probably the early mid-archsean 

 epoch, and has extended up through the ages since, passing 

 into the Caryota, and there energizing and composing the cell 

 protoplasm up to man himself. The cognitic probably evolved 



