74 CELL INTELLIGENCE THE CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 



cell : "When the cell-theory developed in the course of 

 the last half century, the common anatomic ground work 

 of all living forms was recognized in the cell, and the 

 conception of the cell as the elementary organism led to 

 the further belief that our own frame like that of all the 

 higher animals and plants is a cell state composed of 

 millions of microscopic citizens, the individual cells, 

 which work more or less independently therein and co- 

 operate for the common purposes of the entire commu- 

 nity. This fundamental principle of the modern cell- 

 theory was applied with great success by Rudolph Vir- 

 chow to the diseased organism and led to most important 

 reforms in medicine. The cells are in his view inde- 

 pendent 'life units'." The reader will notice from this 

 that the cell is now looked upon as a separate living in- 

 dividual and that in plants and animals cells live together 

 in a co-operative community. 



It seems to be the aim in nature to improve and de- 

 velop. Improvement in a social way can come only at 

 the cost of some of the liberties of the individual citizen. 

 In proportion as society organizes itself and rises in 

 scale, so does a shrinkage enter the private life of each 

 of its members. In order to obtain the comforts and 

 security of society the individual must abandon some of 

 his personal liberties and work towards one purpose, the 

 economic and political perfection of the race. Is it not 

 wonderful that plants and animals happen to be perfect 

 political and economic organizations of individual cells, 

 just like our own organized society? Think of the count- 

 less billions of cells that have gone down in a terrific 

 struggle with the elements in the past ages, in order to 

 place civilized man in his secure and comfortable home. 



We look down at the actions of the cell like a man 

 looking at us from the sun or another world, never think- 



