EVOLUTION OF COLLOIDS 155 



however, shown that this is an intrinsic 

 part of the proteins, a central part of the 

 whole scheme, without which activity is lost 

 and the whole mass becomes inert and dead. 

 Ash-free protein, the dream of the earlier 

 workers, is protein no longer in any of its 

 essential properties. An isolated beating 

 heart from which certain inorganic salts are 

 washed out by an irrigating stream containing 

 none of them, soon ceases to contract, but on 

 restoring these inorganic salts the heart soon 

 starts automatically to work once more. 

 The same can be proved for all living cells, 

 the appropriate inorganic crystalloids must 

 be there, and present in definite amount 

 neither too little nor too much, so as to 

 form the crystallo-colloids, or the living 

 cells cease operations and soon thereafter 

 perish. 



This fundamental relationship of inorganic 

 and organic constituents is interesting in view 

 of the evolution of the organic world from the 

 inorganic. It forcibly calls to mind that law 

 of the evolution of the higher animal which 

 records that the higher embryo passes rapidly 

 through some of the lower forms of its ancient 

 ancestors in its individual evolution. So, 

 probably, living matter is still unable to 

 dispense with those simple inorganic sub- 



UL 



