274 THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



importance to decide whether the ionisation in 

 these bodies is the cause or the consequence of 

 the luminosity, or whether they are merely con- 

 comitant phenomena. 



If it is merely a concomitant, we should expect 

 that the phosphorescence results from the rapid 

 electromagnetic disturbances, which in other cases 

 are found to give rise to ionisation ; whilst if 

 it is the cause, the phosphorescence must result 

 from collision between ions as they recombine. 

 If it is the effect, the phosphorescence may be 

 regarded as the disintegration of molecules, thus 

 giving rise to ionisation, which seems more prob- 

 able, since the collisions would require to be very 

 violent in order that the radiations should be so 

 intense, and this in turn would imply molecular 

 forces of extraordinary magnitude. 



The ionisation is probably the result of the mole- 

 cular radiation, in which case it would come under 

 the heading of concomitant effects, or secondary 

 effects, according to the way we choose to look 

 upon it. 



All that has been said has led us to the re- 

 sult that the spontaneous emission of light is de- 

 pendent upon the formation of new, and more 

 or less complex, groups of molecules, which for 

 the want of a better name we may call mega- 

 molecules. 



We have seen that a careful study of the 

 question shows that separate or distinct free 



