106 The Vnity of the Organism 



pendence of characters, so mucli to the front now in con- 

 nection with tile Mendelian mode of biological inlieritance, 

 extends down into the chemical reactions taking place within 

 the organism. 



(/■) Instances in General Biochemistry Where Interesting 

 Facts of Comparative Chemistry are Incidentally 



Brought Out 



If now, taking our cue from these several distinct groups 

 of positive evidence of a close correlation between attributes 

 by whicli tlie naturalist ordinarily distinguishes individuals, 

 varieties, species, genera, etc., and chemical attributes of 

 these groups, we look through biochemical works which have 

 no natural history intent so far as their authors are con- 

 cerned, with the end in view of seeing to what extent they 

 nevertheless contain incidental facts and statements which 

 are in keeping with the results of the chemico-zoological re- 

 searches just considered, we find an almost unlimited number 

 of records of such import. We will notice a few of these, 

 selecting them mainly with reference to the very wide range, 

 both chemical and biological, from which they may be drawn. 



One of these works has lately produced good experimental 

 reasons for believing that trypsin of the liver of "the star 

 fish" is considerably different from that derived from the 

 same organ of the "large soft-shelled California Clam." So 

 far as concerns the research here referred to, what species 

 of starfsh was used probably did not matter much, but to 

 the zoologist bent on pushing as far as possible his knowl- 

 edge of tlie differences between animals, the point is of 

 genuine interest since the fragment of information thrown 

 out might serve as the starting place for an important 

 chemico-zoological study of the organs rather indiscrimin- 

 ately calleil liver occurring in many invertebrates. But 

 even this additional knowledge, for we have much besides, 

 favorable to the conception that trypsin can never be looked 



