BIONOMICS 259 



He also concedes, very fairly, in the same chapter, " that 

 some kinship seems to exist between these generalisations and 

 the doctrine of Schelling, that Life is the tendency to 

 individuation." 



Spencer thinks, as we have already noticed, he may with 

 safety say that "other things equal" (always a cautious 

 proviso to make!) "the growth of an animal depends on the 

 abundance and sizes of the masses of nutriment which its 

 powers enable it to appropriate." But here he feels the need 

 of another proviso: 



Perhaps it may be needful to add that, in interpreting this state- 

 ment, the number of competitors must be taken into account. Clearly, 

 not the absolute, but the relative abundance of fit food is the point; 

 and this relative abundance very much depends on how many individuals 

 are competing for the food. 



That the production and the abundance of "fit" food are 

 primarily matters of biological co-operation is entirely over- 

 looked, and with such crude views, Spencer, of course, is totally 

 at a loss to draw a distinction between wholesome and unwhole- 

 some food, as also between wholesome and unwholesome com- 

 petition. If his Principles of Biology are thus inadequate in 

 the light of the profounder study of to-day, his views drawn 

 as they are from a wide experience of life are at least 

 generally suggestive and remain broadly true, while they did 

 immense service in giving a survey of the whole field and 

 focussing attention on fundamental principles. It is also fair 

 to point out that Spencer was not entirely oblivious of the fact 

 that certain proportions are required in food. Thus he states : 

 " The total absence of lime from its food may stop the forma- 

 tion of a mammal's skeleton ;' thus dwarfing, if not eventually 

 destroying, the mammal ; and this, no matter what quantities 

 of other needful colloids and crystalloids are furnished." 



He is thus clearly pointing to a " deficiency disease," 

 although to what a startling extent the absence of subtle but 

 vital substances elaborated by the plant may be the cause of 

 such " deficiency diseases " was, of course, not realised in 

 Spencer's day. 



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