LIFE AND DEATH. 133 



cells ; and indeed, in another passage, Gotte himself has placed the 

 process in these cells. 



While, among 1 the Monoplastids, according to Gotte, the causes 

 of the supposed death lie hidden in this mysterious change of the 

 organism into reproductive material, Gotte asserts that among the 

 Polyplastids (such as Magosphaera, hypothetically perfected so as 

 to form a genuine Polyplastid), the causes of death operate so 

 that the organism breaks up into its component cells, all these 

 being still reproductive cells a process which, unlike ' rejuvenes- 

 cence,' has nothing mysterious about it, and which is certainly not 

 genuine death. In the Orthonectid-like animals death does not 

 occur as a consequence of the dispersal of the reproductive cells, 

 but rather because the part of the animal which remains is so 

 small and effete that, being unable to support itself, it necessarily 

 dies. From this point at least the object of death and the con- 

 ception of it remain the same, but now the idea of reproduction 

 undergoes a change. When the Rhabdite females of Ascaris are 

 eaten up by their offspring, is this mode of death connected with 

 the ' rejuvenescence of protoplasm ' ? (1. c., p. 34.) Is there any 

 deep underlying relationship between such an end and the essential 

 nature of reproduction? The same question may be asked with 

 regard to the 'Redia or the Sporocyst of Trematodes, which are 

 converted into slowly dying sacs during the growth of the Cer- 

 cariae within them.' We cannot speak of the ' fatal influence 

 of reproduction' among tape- worms just because 'in the ripe seg- 

 ments the whole organization degenerates under the influence of 

 the excessive growth of the iiterus.' It certainly degenerates, but 

 only so far as the developing mass of eggs demands. In fact, at 

 a sufficiently high temperature, death does not occur, and such 

 mature segments of tape-worms creep about of their own accord. 

 We cannot fail to recognize that in this as well as in the above- 

 mentioned cases we have to do with adaptation to certain very 

 special conditions of existence an adaptation leading to an im- 

 mense development of reproductive cells in a mother organism which 

 can no longer take in nourishment, or which has become entirely 

 superfluous because its duty to its species is already fulfilled. If 

 this is an example of death inherent in the essential nature of re- 

 production, then so is the death of a mature segment of a tape- 

 worm in the gastric juices of the pig that eats it. 



