aor Gt Sait ain al a a te Set a 
ee F URE PEE 
1879. | Ultimate Physical Unit of Living Matter. 17 
chanical and causal, and hence the word perigenesis—generated by 
surroundings. It seems to me that some form of hypothesis 
similar to this will be adopted unless the current views in regard 
to the physical constitution of matter undergo very great changes. 
It may be, if reports be true, that the so-called elements are not 
elementary, as Mr. Lockyer has been led to suspect from his 
spectroscopic researches, but even this will not destroy the essen- 
tial elements of the problem, which are undoubtedly to be ex- 
pressed in terms of matter and force without respect to what the 
nature of that matter may be. 
Prof. Cope (l. c.) after discussing at length the evidence in 
favor of the correlation of life forces with the other physical forces 
and its conservation, goes on to particularize as follows: “ Dr 
Carpenter, in describing the correlation of physical and vital 
forces, defines the difference of organic species to be similar to 
that prevailing between different chemical bodies (the latter de- 
pending on different molecular and atomic constitution), which 
leads them ‘to dehave differently’ from each other under similar 
circumstances. This may be more fully expressed by saying that 
_ different species possess different capacities for the /ocation of the 
conversion of the physical forces into growth force.” On this 
basis, “ A ‘descent with modifications’ contemplated by evolution 
signifies a progressive change in this capacity.” Applied to the 
explanation of his law of Acceleration and Retardation, he says: 
‘Acceleration means an increase in this capacity; retardation a 
diminution of it.” In other words, the undulations or vibrations 
of the molecules of different organisms and different parts of 
organisms differ in character, which is essentially the doctrine of 
Haeckel. He also speaks of growth force [energy] as cumu- 
latively potential (p. 26). Its degree of potentiality he considers 
as marking the degree or grade of grade influence as manifested 
by successive higher forms. Grade influence is supposed to be 
the resultant of “ effort and use” in the process, so that the static 
or dynamic environment and the organism are considered to be 
in a relation of retroactivity—in a state of interaction. At page 
29, “ Method of Creation,” On the transmission of Grade Influence, 
the author admits: ‘‘ How force potential in nerve structure is in- 
herited through the reproductive elements is a great mystery,” 
but he observes further: “In the spermatozodids * * * growth 
force [energy] remains potential,” that is, in a static condition, 
VOL. XIII.—NO I. 2 
