Glossary 



387 



ical sense, to indicate the com- 

 plete independence, so far as 

 development is concerned, of the 

 body from the germ. The an- 

 tithesis is often made stronger by 

 speaking of the substance of the 

 body and the substance of the 

 germ, using the terms somatic- 

 plasm and germplasm. From 

 the philosophical standpoint it is 

 instructive to compare the the- 

 oretically complete separation of 

 body and germ in modern gen- 

 etics, with the theoretically com- 

 plete separation of body and 

 soul in philosophy and psychol- 

 ogy- 



SPECIFICITY. The state of being 

 specific, that is, of being mani- 

 fested as phenomena distinguish- 

 able from all other phenomena. 

 The group of terms kindred to 

 specific and species, long import- 

 ant in systematic and taxonomic 

 biology, are becoming increas- 

 ingly so with the advance of 

 knowledge, especially in the do- 

 mains of the chemistry of differ- 

 ent kinds of organisms, and of 

 comparative behavior and psy- 

 chology. 



SPORAZOA. One of the main sub- 

 divisions of the protozoa a lead- 

 ing characteristic of which is in- 

 dicated by the name, that char- 

 acteristic being the commonness 

 with which propagation occurs in 

 the group by means of spores 

 produced within the body of the 

 animal. By far the greater num- 

 ber of the species of the group 

 are parasitic, many of them dis- 

 ease producing. 



SPORULATION. The process of con- 

 verting into spores, as in the 

 sporazoa, in some other animals, 

 and in many plants. Spores dif- 

 fer from eggs, on the one hand, 

 and seeds on the other, only in 

 the fact that spores are not sex 

 cells, that is, do not need to unite 

 with other cells in order to de- 



velop, as is the case with most 

 eggs and seeds. 



SPONTANEOUS GENERATION. The 

 difference between "spontaneous" 

 in this phrase and in the phrase 

 "spontaneous action," as of an 

 animal, should not be thissed. In 

 the latter connection the word 

 has nearly if not quite its orig- 

 inal meaning, that is, of one's 

 own accord, or initiative; acting 

 by and through one's self alone. 

 The adjective pronouns mea, tua 

 and sud are said to have been 

 used always with sponte in good 

 Latin prose. Strictly, then, if 

 life really originated from some- 

 thing which was not living, that 

 is by a "fortuitous" concourse or 

 interaction among chemical ele- 

 ments of different sort, spon- 

 taneous would not be the proper 

 term .to describe the operation, 

 simply because it would have in- 

 volved fundamentally several 

 selves, even if the different ele- 

 ments could each be called a 

 self. It would not have been an 

 operation identifiable by my, 

 your, or his or its, but by their. 

 Plurality rather than singularity 

 of action would be the essence 

 of the conception. 



STEREOTROPIC. Reacting to stimuli 

 of contact with solid objects. 



STOLON. A prolongation of the 

 body of some plants and animals 

 that gives rise to new individuals 

 by budding. 



StTDORiPARous. Sweat-producing. 



SYMBIOTIC. Pertaining to a state 

 of living together of two dissim- 

 ilar organisms to the advantage 

 of both. 



SYNAPTIC. In cytology pertaining 

 to synapsis, the conjugation of 

 chromosomes in sex cells preced- 

 ing the reduction divisions con- 

 nected with the maturation of 

 germ cells. 



SYNCYTIUM. As used in this book, 

 a cytological term applied to a 



