115 LIFE AND DEATH. 



destruction by the functional activity and the building 

 up by repose. 



The classification of Claude Bernard is strictly true 

 for reserve-stuff. It is easy to criticize the wavering 

 and, as it were, dimly groping expressions in 

 which the celebrated physiologist has shrouded his 

 ideas. The old adage will excuse him: Obscuritate 

 renint verba obscurantur. In the depths of his ignor- 

 ance he had a flash of genius ; perhaps he did not find 

 the definitive and, as it were, clearly-cut formula de- 

 fining what was in his mind. But, in this respect, he 

 has left his successors an easy task. 



TJie Lazv of Functional Assiviilation, — The progress 

 of physiological knowledge compels us therefore to 

 distinguish in the constitution of anatomical elements 

 two parts — the materials oi reserve-stuff -a-wA the really 

 active and living protoplasm. We have just seen how 

 the reserve-stuff behaves, alternately destroyed by 

 functional activity, and built up afterwards by the 

 ingestion of food, followed by the operations of di- 

 gestion, elaboration, and assimilation. It remains to 

 ask how this really living and protoplasmic matter 

 behaves. Does it follow the same law? Is it de- 

 stroyed during the functional activity, and is it after- 

 wards replaced ? As to this we can express no 

 opinion. M, le Dantec fills a gap in our knowledge, 

 in this respect, by an hypothesis. He assumes that 

 this essentially active matter grows during functional 

 activity, and is destroyed during repose. This is what 

 he calls the law of functional assimilation. The 

 protoplasm would therefore behave in an exactly 

 contrary manner to the reserve-stuff. It will be its 

 counterpart. But this is only an hypothesis which, 

 in the present state of our knowledge, cannot be 



