THE CARBON THEORY. 335 
on the material nature of the organism, just as all the 
physical and chemical qualities of every crystal are 
determined solely by its material composition. Now, as 
the elementary substance which determines the peculiar 
material composition of organisms is carbon, we must 
ultimately reduce all vital phenomena, and, above all, the 
two fundamental phenomena of nutrition and propagation 
to the properties of the carbon. The peculiar-chemico- 
physical properties, and especially the semi-fluid state of 
aggregation, and the easy decomposibility of the eaceedingly 
composite albuminous combinations of carbon, are the 
mechanical causes of those peculiar phenomena of motion 
which distinguish organisms from anorgana, and which 
in a narrow sense are usually called “ life.” 
In order to understand this “carbon theory,” which I have 
established in detail in the second book of my General 
Morphology, it is necessary, above all things, closely to 
examine those phenomena of motion which are common to 
both groups of natural bodies. First among them is the 
process of growth. If we cause any inorganic solution of 
salt slowly to evaporate, crystals are formed in it, which 
slowly increase in size during the continued evaporation of 
the water. This process of growth arises from the fact 
that new particles continually pass over from the fluid state 
of aggregation into the solid, and, according to certain laws, 
deposit themselves upon the firm kernel of the crystal 
already formed. From such an apposition of particles arise 
the mathematically definite crystalline shapes. In like 
manner the growth of organisms takes place by the accession. 
of new particles. The only difference is that in the growth 
of organisms, in consequence of their semi-fluid state of 
