DOMAIN OF EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESIS 107 



(labile) chemical combinations. If, therefore, the 

 organisms arose from inorganic matter, then they must 

 be struggling constantly with ever-increasing energy 

 against their own nature, which compels them to form 

 the most stable connections possible. f Every smallest 

 increase in the complication of the chemical combination 

 and in the instability (labilitdt) is contrary to natural 

 laws, in so far as mechanical conditions are not accepted, 

 as they cannot arise by themselves in conformity with 

 inorganic laws/ l If, despite this, ' spontaneous genera- 

 tion ' has occurred, then there has happened a ' miracle ' 

 in the sense of modern natural science i.e. a breach 

 of Nature's laws. 3 



(c) Into the attempts to explain the origin of life 

 by comparison with liquid crystals and by all sorts of 

 experiments with gelatine and artificial trees, we shall 

 not enter. If a liquid crystal actually lives, why is 

 it not left to its fate, so that it may, like bacteria, 

 go further and reproduce itself ? That two ' liquid ' 

 crystals run together is very natural ; but it is naive 

 to speak of copulation in the sense of a melting of cells. 

 If, perhaps, reduction division occurs, have the crystals, 

 by complicated and wonderfully purposeful processes, 

 become desirous of and capable of fertilization ? 



The ' artificial plants ' constitute certainly a very 

 amusing and interesting experiment, similar to the 

 well-known 'Pharaoh's serpent' in chemistry; but if 



1 E. v. Hartmann : Das Problem des Lebens, p. 192. 



2 Reinke says somewhere that if a spontaneous generation be accepted 

 it might also be maintained that water formerly flowed uphill and not 

 down. 



