Fatigue of Excitation and Fatigue of Depression etc. 45 



course of elaboration and consumption anew (Dolley, 1911a). These 

 chromatin substances are identical in their primary and intrinsic 

 constitution (1913b), though variations are superimposed for degrees 

 of differentiation. Finally, there is identity in their specific purpose, 

 which is to supply the energy of work. There is a unity in mechanism 

 and purpose universally displayed upon which function fundamentally 

 rests (1911b). Differentiation is a matter of relative quality of the 

 chromatin, not of mode of reaction. 



On the other hand, depressant stimulation intervenes at any stage 

 of activity, blocks the mechanism in a uniform and constant way, the 

 product (chromatin) ceases to be formed and activity comes to a 

 standstill. The evidence in support of this appears in the paper on 

 functional depression (1913b). The genesis of the depression is to be 

 found in the breakdown of the plasma in its reciprocal relation to 

 the nucleus. This becomes complete, involving, on the one hand, the 

 loss of power to synthesize its raw food material, on the other, the 

 inability to resorb the chromatin substances from the nucleus (normally 

 composing the chromidial apparatus). The failure of synthesis is ocu- 

 larly demonstrated by the intracellular deposition of yolk material in 

 excess and of glycogen. When synthesis fails, the cytoplasm can no 

 longer contribute the pro-chromatic materials to the nucleus. As a 

 result, chromatin formation gradually fails, though the nucleus stands 

 revealed in its undisturbed or actually increased level of nucleolar 

 substance as ready to continue to perform its share in the synthesis, 

 thus proving the necessity of a reciprocal interaction. The failure 

 of chromatin resorption is proved by the fact that both the residual 

 chromatin and some little chromatin formed during the advance of 

 depression remain stored within the nucleus, even finally with a most 

 pressing need for it in the cytoplasm evident from its absolute ab- 

 sence there. No more chromatin is supplied to the plasma and whal 

 has been supplied before the breakdown became complete is used up. 

 In the excess of nuclear materials, complemented by the cytoplasmic 

 breakdown, the nucleus-plasma balance is disturbed in favor of the 

 nucleus. Depression is primarily the inhibition of chromatin formation 



To show how beautifully and harmonically this accounts for the 



