NUCLEUS AS SOURCE OF ENERGY i6i 



In some such way do we suppose the 

 bio-elements or bio-carbons, if we may call them 

 such, to diflfer and to agree. 



No doubt one would expect such radio-carbons 

 to stand high temperatures, and when living 

 organisms containing them are sterilised in culture 

 media the presence of these elements would in 

 turn give rise to some type of artificial cells, 

 however different from the original. 



Thus some of the results obtained by Dr. 

 Charlton Bastian may be accounted for in this 

 way. What the phenomenon really amounts to is 

 this, that in the process of sterilisation there 

 remain some particles with the vital principle 

 unaltered, and although the cellular organic 

 structure is destroyed, a new structure, totally 

 different no doubt, admits of being re-formed. 

 Such a process would no doubt be nothing else 

 than heterogenesis. But we might expect the 

 newly formed cells to be simpler as the conditions 

 under which they are produced are simpler 

 too. 



Of the work of Dr. Charlton Bastian we hope 

 to be able to discourse in a subsequent chapter. 

 His experiments on heterogenesis, and particularly 

 on the transformation of the eggs of a rotifer into 

 ciliated infusoria, are indeed most remarkable. An 

 account of the nature of these experiments has 

 recently been published in the proceedings of the 

 Royal Society. There can be no doubt that, however 

 startling the results, they are at least worthy of the 



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