108 THE LESSON OF EVOLUTION 



tion was continued, a tendency must arise for the 

 determinants to vary still more strongly, " not solely 

 because the zero-point has been pushed farther 

 upwards, but because they themselves now oppose a 

 relatively more powerful front to their neighbours ; 

 that is, actively absorb more nourishment, and upon 

 the whole increase in vigour and produce more 

 robust descendants." In this way, he thinks, 

 several modifications could be guided simultaneously 

 by the selection of the individuals exhibiting them. 



In 1884 C. von Nageli also advocated definite 

 variation. 25 He says that the idioplasm (nuclear- 

 plasm) of each cell becomes differentiated by the 

 " dynamic influence of the groups of micellse upon 

 their own growth ; so that the body of idioplasm 

 merely takes on a continually increasing complexity 

 of configuration by the action of internal forces." 

 This constitutes the automatic perfecting process, 

 or progression of the idioplasm and entropy of 

 organic matter. 



As this principle of perfection necessarily implies 

 progress, he has to supplement it with abiogenesis. 

 He thinks that "primordial plasma" originates 

 wherever and whenever the necessary conditions 

 combine ; so that the animal and vegetable kingdoms 

 are not made up by branchings from an original 

 idioplasm, as is generally supposed, but each race 

 or group may have its own specific idioplasm. 



In 1888 Professor Eimer, thinking that organic 



25 A Mechanico-Physiological theory of Organic Evolution. 

 English translation in the "Religion of Science Library." 

 Chicago. 



