318 
Bathmology should not be substituted for Auxology in order to give 
uniformity to the nomenclature. 
It is not necessary to discuss this here and the facts are merely 
mentioned to call attention to this question and bring out expressions 
of opinion. 
Dr. C. S. Minot, who has given the first demonstration of the 
fundamental law of growth, has shown that the common notions with 
regard to the action of this force in organisms are erroneous. His 
plotted curves of the actual additions in bulk of the body by growth 
during equal intervals of time in guinea pigs show that these incre- 
ments are in steadily decreasing ratio to the increase of weight of the 
animal from a very early age. He was so much impressed by these 
facts that he characterized the whole life of the individual as a process 
of senescence or growing old. 
Naturalists have as a rule understood the differences between the 
organic molecular increase that takes place within cells which is the 
simplest form of growth, and that which follows this and builds up the 
tissues of the body by the division of cells. Both of these processes, 
although distinct from each other, result in additions to the bulk of 
the whole body of the organism and come properly under the head of 
growth. But while both are thus constructive so far as the body is 
-concerned, only one can be considered constructive or anabolic while 
the other is essentially destructive or catabolic so far as the cell itself 
is concerned. 
The function of nutrition and the nature of the organic structure 
are the two essential factors of growth , and this term, i. e. growth, 
also obviously applies to the morphology of metabolism, consisting of 
intra-cellular increase, or anabolism, and cellular development, or 
catabolism, and the phenomena resulting from the alternating action 
of these in ontogeny. This at once shows that growth is not simply 
progressive addition to the bulk of the body, since the multiplication 
of cells by fission is in itself catabolic or developmental so far as the 
cells are concerned. Further than this the ultimate results of catabo- 
lism are of the nature of reductions as is shown by Minot’s work, 
by Maupas’s observation on the old age of the agamic cycle in In- 
fusoria, and the results of late researches on amitosis in cellular fis- 
sion. These and the actual reduction of the body taking place in 
extreme senility show, that the term growth covers decrease in bulk 
due to development and use, as well as increase. 
3 »Senescence and Rejuvenation«. Journ. Phys. XII. No. 2. 1891 and address on 
»Cert. Phen. of growing old«, Am. Assoc. Adv. of Sci. XXXIX. Aug. 1890. 
