The Organism and its Chcmisiry 95 



istrj become systematic biocliemlstry? How far lias it un- 

 dertaken to contribute to the vast task of descrlbiiifr and 

 classifying and interpreting the world of living beings? Or 

 varying the form of the question a little, how far lias hiotic 

 chemistry become biologic chemistry? How far has the 

 chemistry of organisms become biologically scientific in the 

 systematic sense? 



Some Biochemical Results Viewed from the Naturalises 



Standpoint 



With a stronger desire to indicate a naturalist's apprecia- 

 tion than to observe historical or logical sequences in treat- 

 ment, I speak first of the most important research which 

 up to that time had been made in this direction. Reference 

 is made to the monumental undertaking conceived and now 

 well advanced by E. T. Reichert. The title to the install- 

 ment so far published deserves special notice : "The Differ- 

 entiation and Specificity of Corresponding Proteins and 

 other Vital Substances in relation to Biological Classifica- 

 tion and Organic Evolution ; The Crystallography of Hemo- 

 globins." 



Highly significant from the standpoint of method no less 

 than from that of accomplishment is the fact that in order 

 to carry through this piece of work, Reichert was obliged 

 to associate himself with a mineralogist, and that in his 

 university colleague, A. P. Brown, he found a man both 

 capable and willing to undertake the task. 



(«) Reichert and Brown's Results on Haemoglobin 



The discussion will be best served by seeing first the main 

 factual results of the research. Afterward Reichert's mode 

 of approach and interpretation of these results can be con- 

 sidered. Reichert has summed up in a short paragraph of 



