296 MONTGOMERY. [VoL. XII. 
the others, and consequently its own forces of growth and 
action may operate more freely and to greater extent than was 
possible in the previous condition, when it was held in check 
by the state of correlation with the other organs. In other 
words, after any change of the environment, that is, after any 
consequent interruption of the correlation of the organs, each 
organ becomes temporarily more autodynamic than it was before, 
and the comparatively independent action of its vital forces 
may result in the production of abnormalities, which are known 
as variations. To what extremes these variations may go in 
amount or extent will be considered in the next section. 
The question arises at this point in the argument : why, when 
through the interruption of the correlation of the organs a 
certain degree of temporary independence of each of the latter 
ensues, should any of the particular organs exert this indepen- 
dence in the production of structural variations? Now we 
have seen that the chances of existence of an organism stand 
in a direct proportion to the degree of its adaptation to the 
environment ; and further, that a complete correlation of its 
organs is necessary hefore a perfect adaptation to its environ- 
ment is possible, thereby its chance of existence depending 
upon the degree of correlation of its organs. Accordingly, 
when the correlation of the organs has been disturbed by a 
change in the environment, it has but a small chance of exis- 
tence until this correlation is restored. This deduction can 
hardly be questioned, because it is difficult to conceive of an 
organism existing when the correlation of its organs is greatly 
impaired. It follows, therefore, that the organism must attempt, 
in its fight for life, to restore this correlation, which is obviously 
a step necessary for its becoming adapted to the new environ- 
ment. Plainly, then, after the correlation of the organs has 
become more or less interrupted, the several organs would exert 
their degree of temporary independence of one another in such 
a manner as to restore the correlation. Bearing this point in 
mind, and remembering in this connection the previous assump- 
tions of our argument, we conclude: that organic structural 
variations are the morphological results of physiological exertions 
on the part of the organism, to restore that complete correlation 

