﻿316 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN" 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  await 
  the 
  future 
  progress 
  of 
  scientific 
  research. 
  Perhaps 
  if 
  we 
  could 
  

   actually 
  witness 
  and 
  follow 
  out 
  the 
  varied 
  motions 
  and 
  activities 
  of 
  

   a 
  single 
  complex 
  chemical 
  molecule 
  in 
  a 
  reacting 
  medium 
  we 
  might 
  

   find 
  something 
  not 
  so 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  life. 
  Or 
  perhaps 
  the 
  organic 
  

   unity 
  of 
  a 
  living 
  organism 
  requires 
  for 
  its 
  understanding 
  some 
  such 
  

   explosion 
  of 
  human 
  thought 
  and 
  inspiration 
  as 
  that 
  which 
  occurred 
  

   when 
  Einstein 
  and 
  Minkowsky 
  discovered 
  the 
  true 
  relations 
  of 
  what 
  

   we 
  call 
  space 
  and 
  time. 
  We 
  may, 
  however, 
  be 
  sure 
  of 
  this. 
  The 
  under- 
  

   standing, 
  when 
  it 
  comes, 
  will 
  consist 
  in 
  something 
  that 
  permits 
  of 
  

   exact 
  measurement 
  and 
  of 
  precise 
  expression 
  in 
  mathematical 
  form, 
  

   even 
  though 
  for 
  the 
  latter 
  purpose 
  a 
  new 
  form 
  of 
  mathematics 
  may 
  

   have 
  to 
  be 
  invented. 
  

  

  Leibnitz 
  once 
  remarked 
  that 
  "the 
  machines 
  of 
  nature, 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  

   living 
  bodies, 
  are 
  still 
  machines 
  in 
  their 
  smallest 
  parts 
  ad 
  infinitum." 
  

   Anatomy 
  and 
  histology 
  have 
  progressively 
  disclosed 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   living 
  things. 
  Histology 
  has 
  revealed 
  to 
  us 
  the 
  cell 
  with 
  its 
  nucleus 
  

   and 
  cytoplasm 
  as 
  the 
  apparently 
  fundamental 
  unit 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  organs 
  

   and 
  tissues 
  of 
  a 
  living 
  being. 
  What 
  is 
  contained 
  within 
  the 
  membrane 
  

   of 
  a 
  living 
  cell? 
  Here 
  we 
  approach 
  the 
  inner 
  citadel 
  of 
  the 
  mystery 
  of 
  

   life. 
  If 
  we 
  can 
  analyze 
  and 
  understand 
  this, 
  the 
  first 
  great 
  problem 
  — 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  only 
  real 
  problem 
  — 
  of 
  general 
  physiology 
  will 
  have 
  been 
  

   solved. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  narture 
  and 
  behavior 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  cell 
  and 
  

   of 
  unicellular 
  organisms 
  is 
  the 
  true 
  task 
  of 
  biology 
  to-day. 
  

  

  The 
  living 
  cell 
  contains 
  a 
  system 
  known 
  as 
  protoplasm, 
  though 
  as 
  

   yet 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  define 
  what 
  protoplasm 
  is. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  fundamental 
  

   components 
  of 
  this 
  system 
  is 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  chemical 
  substances 
  known 
  

   as 
  proteins, 
  and 
  each 
  type 
  of 
  cell 
  in 
  each 
  species 
  of 
  organism 
  contains 
  

   one 
  or 
  more 
  proteins 
  which 
  are 
  peculiar 
  to 
  it. 
  Important 
  components 
  

   of 
  the 
  protoplasmic 
  system 
  are 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  chlorides, 
  bicarbonates 
  

   and 
  phosphates 
  of 
  sodium, 
  potassium, 
  and 
  calcium. 
  Other 
  sub- 
  

   stances 
  are 
  also 
  present, 
  especially 
  those 
  mysterious 
  bodies 
  known 
  as 
  

   enzymes, 
  which 
  catalyze 
  the 
  various 
  chemical 
  actions 
  occurring 
  

   within 
  the 
  cell. 
  Strange 
  to 
  say, 
  the 
  living 
  cell 
  contains 
  within 
  itself 
  

   the 
  seeds 
  of 
  death, 
  namely 
  those 
  so-called 
  autolytic 
  enzymes, 
  which 
  

   are 
  capable 
  of 
  hydroiyzing 
  and 
  breaking 
  down 
  the 
  protein 
  components 
  

   of 
  the 
  protoplasm. 
  So 
  long, 
  however, 
  as 
  the 
  cell 
  continues 
  to 
  live, 
  

   these 
  autolytic 
  enzymes 
  do 
  not 
  act. 
  What 
  a 
  strange 
  thing! 
  The 
  

   harpies 
  of 
  death 
  sleep 
  in 
  every 
  unit 
  of 
  our 
  living 
  bodies, 
  but 
  as 
  long 
  

   as 
  life 
  is 
  there 
  their 
  wings 
  are 
  bound 
  and 
  their 
  devouring 
  mouths 
  

   are 
  closed. 
  

  

  This 
  protoplasmic 
  system 
  exists 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  colloid 
  

   state. 
  Roughly 
  speaking, 
  this 
  means 
  that 
  it 
  exists 
  as 
  a 
  rather 
  

   fluid 
  sort 
  of 
  jelly. 
  There 
  is 
  something 
  extraordinarily 
  significant 
  in 
  

   this 
  colloid 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  protoplasmic 
  system, 
  though 
  no 
  one 
  as 
  yet 
  

   cian 
  say 
  what 
  it 
  really 
  means. 
  Recollecting 
  the 
  statement 
  of 
  Leibnitz, 
  

  

  