XXII 

 A LIMB FOR A LIFE 



AMONG the many effective ways in which 

 animals parry the thrusts of Death, is 

 there one more daring than what is called autotomy 

 the surrender of a part which often saves the 

 whole? Seemingly daring, one must say, however, 

 for all the typical cases of self-mutilation are 

 nowadays reflex, occurring quite apart from any 

 deliberate intention to sacrifice intactness for 

 existence. A starfish, seized by one of its arms, 

 surrenders this to the captor and escapes with the 

 other four, regrowing the missing part at its infinite 

 leisure. But since the starfish has not a single 

 nerve-ganglion in its body, no one can credit it 

 with having reflectively recognized that it is better 

 that one member should perish than that the whole 

 life should be lost. That the surrender of an arm 

 is effective is certain; that it now happens reflexly 

 is also certain; but to conclude that this interest- 

 ing kind of response to a frequently-recurring risk 

 was historically established without any glimpse of 

 awareness on the creature's part is premature. 

 We have to remember, for instance, that brainless 

 and ganglionless as the starfish is, it shows, e.g., in 

 its combat with a sea-urchin, a capacity for per- 



166 



