52 



ANDREWS. 



Whenever organized contractility appeared for the first time 

 in any existing, or new, irregular ectosarc, it was preceded by 

 thorough and systematic reorganization of the elements on the 

 same basis as that of the initial formation ; the interalveolar 

 substance having always the leading role. 



And wherever such a characteristic arrangement of the ele- 

 ments already existed, organized contractile activities were 

 seen to arise at some moment without further change in the 

 existing structure than such as pertained to that rhythmic 

 qualification itself. 



[51] To sum up: contraction was found always associated 

 with an organization of the elements which is typically ecto- 

 sarcal ; and typically ectosarcal areas were found to be charac- 

 teristically contractile. Organized contractility was not found 

 except where the elements either of Biitschli's or of the inter- 

 alveolar structure were directly or indirectly shown to have 

 such a constitution. 



It may seem, perhaps, that the same things have been said 

 a great many times over in slightly different ways. This is 

 exactly what nature does with these facts ; and it is only by 

 following constantly along different, yet closely kindred, lines 

 up to the same conclusion that one gets a realization of the 

 truth in this matter ; a fundamental truth it is with respect to 

 the living substance and its habits of self-expression, and there 

 is none other, I believe, so important in evolution. 



[52] In the light of such facts, ectosarc appears to be the 

 type, or illustration, of all characteristic substance organization; 

 for, as it will be shown that contractility is still the basic, 

 typical activity of the living substance, as far as this can be 

 seen to act, so also down to this limit is ectosarc formation a 

 fixed, physical basis for this activity; the basic mode therefore 

 of organization of the characteristic powers of the living sub- 

 stance. That this relation is indeed inevitable from the nature 

 and relations of the powers and the form of the material, will 

 be shown in the section on contractility and in that on the new 

 formula offered for the living substance. 



It has been stated that the stability of a structure of Biitschli 

 is no guarantee of stability of the living substance as such in 



