THE ARGUMENT 259 



blood plasma, etc. The variety of compounds, 

 both organic and inorganic, which contain 

 carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen also causes enor- 

 mous increase in the number of components 

 of biological systems like protoplasm. 



The effects of the properties of water above 

 enumerated to regulate temperature are almost 

 too numerous to mention. The specific heat 

 of water, its latent heats of fusion and vapori- 

 zation, and the high freezing point all con- 

 tribute to the restriction of temperature range 

 within the organism, in the waters, and over 

 the whole surface of the earth. The vapor 

 pressure of water has been shown to possess 

 great and exceptional variability with change 

 of temperature. This is the most impor- 

 tant property of water meteorologically, and 

 is the necessary condition for its ample cir- 

 culation. The ratio between the gas pressure 

 of carbonic acid and its concentration in 

 water (absorption coefficient) has been shown 

 to be the great factor in establishing the mo- 

 bility of that substance. The total atmos- 

 pheric pressure has not entered into our dis- 

 cussion, for it seems to have no important 

 special relation to the properties of the three 

 elements. 



In short, the properties of water and of the 

 carbon compounds provide for number, va- 



