Further Examination of the Cell-Theory 215 



so from the strictly logical standpoint have the same order 

 of importance as have smaller discriminative attributes of 

 any other stage in the individual life; furthermore, from all 

 that modern research is bringing to light on the correlation 

 of attributes, to assume that these minute differences are 

 really as detached and insignificant as they seem is biologi- 

 cally quite unwarranted. 



To illustrate, what careful biologist would dare affirm, 

 having due regard for what we- now know about the chemical 

 interaction of the parts of an organism, that the difference 

 in the size and distribution of the oil globules, let us say, 

 of the eggs of two species of fish, stops with just that dif- 

 ference? We are certain, are we not, that the formation of 

 these globules is connected in some way with the metab- 

 olism of the egg? And this means that the truly living 

 substance and vital processes of the egg are involved. So 

 it becomes not only possible but highly probable that oil- 

 drop differences between the eggs are indices of far more 

 deep-seated differences. 



And we must not fail to note that in addition to the 

 probability of important correlations among these seem- 

 ingly trivial morphological details through the metabolism 

 (i.e., through the chemical processes) of the. cell, correla- 

 tions through the physical processes are also to be pre- 

 sumed in accordance with the conceptions of the cell justi- 

 fied by physical chemistry. The reader should recall the 

 ({notations from Hopkins on the conception of the cell as a 

 system in equilibrium. But an additional statement from 

 the same author will be especially germane at this point. 

 Speaking of certain metaplasmic constituents of the cell, 

 Hopkins writes : "These last comprise not only the fat 

 droplets, glycogen, starch grains, aleurone grains, and the 

 like, but other deposits not to be demonstrated histologi- 

 cally. They must be held, too, a point which has not 

 been sufficiently insisted upon, to comprise the diverse sub- 



