AS THE BIOLOGIST SEES IT 



man himself in having lifted humankind, 

 both as species and individual, to such a 

 peak of evolutionary development, if 

 death ends it all. Just because a single 

 part in the complex material machine, 

 or association of engines, that was my 

 friend's body, suddenly breaks down, is 

 that the end of his story? One evening 

 all that nature and man had done for 

 him were available for our good and his 

 happiness. The next morning, because a 

 trivial mechanical disharmony prevailed 

 during the night over what had been 

 for fifty years mechanical harmony, he is 

 nothing more to us or himself. This 

 seems preposterous, incredible. Must we 

 accept it, biologist? 



Sadly he answers, I can give you no 

 comfort. That same waste of Nature's 

 efforts if it really is waste is apparent 

 all through the realm of life. This fish 

 produces a million eggs when only a few 

 will successfully develop into new indi- 

 viduals. How many thousand to one are 

 the odds against the successful achieve- 

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