MALADIE ET SYMBIOSE 275 



existence," and that genuine biological Symbiosis rather 

 strengthens internal Symbiosis than provokes it to costly 

 reactions. We are told : " L'impuissance de la reaction 

 phagocytaire est un des caracteres les plus nets qui 

 differencient la symbiose des etats voisins." 



But " impuissance " being merely a " maniere de voire," 

 and not one corresponding to reality Symbiosis tending to 

 increase rather than to diminish the resisting powers Prof. 

 Bernard is obliged to improve upon the conception on the next 

 page by having recourse to his paradoxes, thus : 



Alalgre cette impuissance de la pha^n ytose, il persiste bien dans la 

 symbiose une certaine immunite, puisque les champignons ne parviennent 

 jamais a infester les sommets vegetatifs et qu'en definitive la plante arrive 

 a produire des tiges, des fleurs, des fruits et des graines indemnes. C'est 

 la, pour ainsi dire, une forme ultime de I'immunite, dans laquelle la plante 

 doit mettre en ceuvre tous ses moyens de defense pour preserver ses tissus 

 essentiels. Puisque la phagocytose n'est plus alors un moyen efficace, il 

 faut bien qu'il en existe un autre ; on doit le decouvrir en cherchant les 

 raisons qui obligent pour ainsi dire les champignons a regler leur marche 

 sur la marche meme du developpement des plantules. 



It is thus clear that "impuissance" is relative, and only 

 another way of denoting the concession made by the orchid in 

 return for services rendered in Symbiosis. In other words, the 

 fungus, being duly checked and under restraint in one direction, 

 may enjoy some freedom of action in another. If the fungus 

 will but be duly useful, it need not be slaughtered by either 

 " phagocytosis " or " immunity," but it may instead be admitted 

 into co-partnership. If Symbiosis involve the balancing of 

 " defences " and of concessions, we need not see anything para- 

 doxical in the fact that the orchid partly curbs and partly 

 encourages the fungus, nor in the fact that the orchid, whilst 

 " susceptible " in the absence of its fungus, yet changes such 

 susceptibility, or receptivity, once a fungus has penetrated. 

 And this brings us again to the imposition of " pelotonnement," 

 the second important means in the power of the orchids of 

 limiting infection on the part of the fungi. Fungi which will 

 not suffer themselves to form clusters, are not capable, it seems, 

 of co-operation with the orchids, because they fail sufficiently 

 to respect the autonomy and the true interests of the orchids, 

 thus violating a fundamental bio-economic law of Concord. 

 We are told that : 



En fait, dans tous les cas d'infestation mortelle que j'ai precedemment 

 cites, les champignons abandonnaient tot ou tard ce mode de vegetation ; 



