18 The Unity of the Organism 



in the group of workers referred to. 



The organismal standpoint escapes its ancient adversa- 

 ries when it comes to expression as physiological correlation 

 just as little as it has escaped when it has appeared under 

 any of its earlier forms. Thus although correlation plays 

 a large role in the writings of W. Roux, the founder of 

 developmental mechanics, approach to the correlation-com- 

 plex for him seems always to be from the direction of the 

 elements in the complex and never from that of the complex 

 itself ; so it results that the organism as such has no stand- 

 ing in his conceptions on a par with that of the elements 

 which constitute it. This fact comes out clearly from an 

 examination of the various definitions bearing on the point 

 given by Roux in his Terminologie der Entwicklungsme- 

 chanik der Tiere und Pflanzen. Thus as a definition of or- 

 ganisin we find *^0rga7iism means a complex of organs ; hence, 

 of instruments." ^^ Or for living being (regarded as a syn- 

 onym for organism) we find: ^^Living beings^ bion, pi. bion- 

 ten, are natural bodies which distinguish themselves 

 'minimally' from inorganic natural bodies through a sum 

 of definite elementary functions which directly or indirectly 

 subserve self-preservation, as also through self-regulation 

 in the exercise of all these functions ; and thereby, in spite 

 of *self-alteration,' and through the same, and also in spite 

 of the necessary complicated and ^oft structure, are very 

 permanent." ^^ Again, " 'Ganzbildung,' Holoplast, is a more 

 or less fully developed, but fully formed structure, represent- 

 ing an entire organism, which has arisen out of a blastomere, 

 or egg- fragment." -^ 



From these as typical definitions it is seen that in no case 

 is organism conceived and defined as having characters 

 wholly its own, but, by implication, only those belonging to 

 its parts. Indeed, a critical study of the speculative writ- 

 ings of Roux and his adherents will, I believe, convince any 

 one that tlie most characteristic thing about developmental 



