286 THE BIOCOSMOS PARTICULARIZED. 



the organism fore and aft into its two sym- 

 metrical sides, and therein duplicating wholly 

 or partially many organs of the body. This 

 bi-lateral symmetry becomes less pronounced 

 as we descend in the scale of the animal world; 

 seemingly it evolves with the ascent manward. 



The Plant divides otherwise, though it too 

 has its symmetrical counterparts, separating 

 and growing upward and downward, at the 

 ends not at the sides which we may call bi- 

 terminal symmetry. Moreover it strives out- 

 ward, in root and branch and also in stem, 

 spreading from its germinal center toward 

 the external elements. But the two halves of 

 the animal organism, even while growing out- 

 wardly, turn inwardly to each other and form 

 their organic unity, centripetal rather than 

 centrifugal, determined from within more 

 than from without. Manifestly the Animal is 

 getting self-centered within its own Form, 

 though it as a whole has to obey gravitation. 

 This organic concentration of the Animal cul- 

 minates in its central organ, the brain, which, 

 however, still shows the bi-lateral division in 

 its two lobes. - 



In addition to this bi-lateralism the organ- 

 ism of the Animal has its dorsal and ventral 

 sides, very different from each other, indeed 

 not symmetrical. This difference is not pro- 

 nounced in the lower animals, though it has 



