LIFE AND HABIT 113 



Symbiosis existing between plant and animal. Their ultimate 

 conversion by the blood and the tissues traced by modern 

 science represents but a final phase of the real Bio-chemistry 

 of food. 



It is not " wheat," therefore, or " corn," that become " hen " 

 in the sense that the individualities of the herbs find their 

 consummation by being taken up into that of " hen." It is 

 only the amino-acids manufactured by these herbs in their 

 bio-chemical laboratory for " export " that go to form the 

 characteristic proteins of the " hen, "yielding all the while to the 

 latter a number of indispensable good influences, which go to 

 " convert " the animal, so far as its character and its " psyche " 

 are concerned, quite as much as the amino-acids of the plant 

 are eventually converted into the characteristic protein of the 

 animal. It is a case of the digestive transformation of special 

 substances in the ordinary course of Symbiosis far from 

 inevitably necessitating the devouring of producer by consumer. 



The animal, Dr. Alsberg tells us, is incapable of manufactur- 

 ing for itself certain amino-acids [which it yet requires]. The 

 plant, however, is capable of making all the amino-acids 

 necessary to support its own life [and, I should add, enough 

 to spare]. Whether or not an animal can build up its own tissue 

 protein depends upon the supply of amino-acids. Failing these, 

 it suffers a kind of starvation. 



The importance of other influences conveyed by symbiotic 

 food may be seen from the further fact communicated by Dr. 

 Alsberg to the effect that lime juice, for instance, which is a valu- 

 able anti-scorbutic, contains unusually stable Vitamines : " It 

 has been suggested " he says, " that the free organic acid present 

 in the lime juice protects the anti-scorbutic substances." 



Evidently the most ideal substances for animal diet and the 

 most ideal blends of substances are to be found amongst the 

 spare foods of plants, which foods are distinguished from the 

 " untutored " food spoken of by Butler in that they are derived 

 from an adequate symbiotic relation between supplier and 

 supplied. " Untutored " food, in the sense of lacking such 

 essential bio-economic qualification, i.e., special preparation 

 and maturation by a willing partner, is unsuitable food apt 

 to be the cause of disease and of a morbid Pan-Psychism. 



Butler, as the champion of Lamarck, whose leading ideas, 

 according to him, had been much used though with anything but 



