M O N E R A 



the chromacea as the earUest and snnplest of all or- 

 ganisms, it is necessary to put clearly the following facts 

 with regard to .their anatomic structure and physio- 

 logical activity: 



1. The organism of the simplest chromacea is not 

 composed of different organella or organs; and it shows 

 no trace of purposive construction or definite archi- 

 tecture. 



2. The homogeneous tinted plasma granule which 

 makes up the entire organism in the simplest case 

 (chroococcus) exhibits no plasma structure (honeycomb, 

 threads, etc.) whatever. 



3. The original globular form of the plasma particle 

 is the simplest of all fundamental types, and is also that 

 assumed by the inorganic body (such as a drop of rain) 

 in a condition of stable equilibrium. 



4. The formation of a thin membrane at the surface of 

 the structureless plasma granule may be explained as a 

 purely physical process — that of surface strain. 



5. The gelatinous envelope which is secreted by many 

 of the chromacea is also formed by a simple physical 

 (or chemical) process. 



6. The sole essential vital function that is common to 

 all the chromacea is self-maintenance, and growth by 

 means of their vegetal metabolism, or plasmodomism 

 ( = carbon assimilation); this purely chemical process is 

 on a level with the catalysis of inorganic compounds 

 (chapter x.). 



7. The growth of the cytodes, in virtue of their con- 

 tinuous plasmodomism, is on a level with the physical 

 process of crystal growth. 



8. The reproduction of the chromacea by simple 

 cleavage is merely the continuation of this simple growth 

 process, when it passes the limit of individual size. 



9. All the other vital phenomena which are to be seen 

 in some of the chromacea can also be explained by 



197 



