Chapter II 

 THE ORGANISM AND ITS MAJOR PARTS 



Reflections on the Problem of Individuality/ in the living 



World 



THERE has been a great deal of inconclusive discussion 

 of late years, about the nature of the organic indi- 

 vidual. Biologists holding the natural-history viewpoint 

 have never had much difficulty in making up their minds as 

 to what an individual is, but many experimenters, encounter- 

 ing problems presented by the parts of an individual and by 

 individuals as parts of a society, have tended to dodge the 

 issue — have attempted to find a solution to the puzzle of 

 individuality by the rather naive method of changing their 

 definitions of it. 



To get some clear-cut idea on this question, out of the 

 welter of nebulous notions that prevail at present, is so im- 

 portant for our general discussion that we can afford to 

 stop for a moment to consider it. 



A homely and common illustration will serve as a starting- 

 point. When a scientific dairyman is buying a milch cow 

 or a bull, the deciding factor in the deal is usually what he 

 calls the animal's ''individual performance." That is, while 

 various separate "points" are taken into consideration and 

 pedigree lists are consulted, the final decision is based not 

 so much on these as on the cow's record as a milk producer 

 or the bull's as a sire of good calves. In the estimation of 

 the purchaser, the animal stands or falls on its own merits 

 as an individual. 



3Q 



