VI 



Preface 



mary function, which is to clarify the text 

 material. 



The fourth edition continues to derive an 

 important heritage from C. R. Plunkett's 

 Outlines of Modern Biology, which was pub- 

 lished in 1929. Most of the form and sub- 

 stance of the original book has changed, but 

 the basic aim remains. This is to present 

 biology as an integrated science — a con- 

 sistently unified body of knowledge, prin- 

 ciple, and theory that tries to explain as well 

 as to describe the phenomena of life. Indeed, 

 this emphasis on the essential unity of bi- 

 ology, as a science that derives its principles 

 quite equally from a study of plants and ani- 

 mals, represents one of Plunkett's most 

 unique and important contributions. 



The problem of integrating and incorpo- 

 rating new developments into an existing 

 body of facts and principles is a difficult chal- 

 lenge. Each "new" development is apt to 

 represent a modified derivative of some 

 "older" concept. It cannot, like a supernu- 

 merary limb, merely be grafted haphazardly 

 upon the body surface. The whole system 

 must be adjusted and accommodated to the 

 new growth, if a harmonious integrity is to 

 be preserved. Consequently, this fourth edi- 

 tion has involved an extensive amount of 

 rewriting, as did the other three. 



Another perennial problem is to develop 

 the student's interest and to bring the com- 

 plex material of modern biology into range 

 of comprehension without sacrificing scien- 

 tific standards. Most students fail to take an 

 interest in general principles unless these are 



interpreted in terms of their own experience 

 or in terms of experimental evidence clearly 

 and fully presented. Superficial treatments, 

 too often encountered, do not suffice. New 

 ideas must be thoroughly developed. They 

 must be carefully defined, explained, ana- 

 lyzed, and exemplified. It is necessary to chal- 

 lenge the intelligence of our students and to 

 have faith in their capacity to learn. Experi- 

 ence has shown that general students, whose 

 main objective is to gain a relatively broad 

 understanding of how biology impinges upon 

 human life and thought, are generally willing 

 to accept the challenge. They provide excel- 

 lent competition for the biology majors pre- 

 paring for advanced work. 



My associates at Washington Square Col- 

 lege have been very helpful in many ways. To 

 a large extent, the content of the book keeps 

 originating from the lectures of our General 

 Biology course; and over the years many 

 members of the Biology Department have 

 contributed to these lectures. Specifically, I 

 want to thank Drs. Harry A. Charipper, H. 

 Clark Dalton, Albert S. Gordon, Morris H. 

 Harnly, Henry S. Hirshfield, Milan J. Kopac, 

 Alexander Sandow, and Charles D. Siegel. I 

 want also to acknowledge a special indebted- 

 ness to the late Henry J. Fry who originally 

 planned our General Biology course and who 

 directed our teaching in the early days at 

 Washington Square College. 



And, finally, I am happy to dedicate this 

 book to my wife, Alice Marsland, who has 

 helped so much. 



D. M. 



New York City 

 November, 1963 



