608 Editors’ Table. - [Jun 
one having the capacity of an unlimitable existence and of under- 
going an indefinite number of fresh acts of self-division. 
That the higher organisms, or the many-celled animals have 
not this power, Weismann thinks, is owing to their multicellular 
structure, and to the division of labor between the cells of their 
bodies. i 
The essay is certainly a very suggestive one, as is indeed nearly 
all of Weismann’s work. The space at our command only per 
mits us to give the author’s conclusions: | 
1. Natural death alone occurs in many-celled organisms, the 
one-celled forms do not possess it; the process of encysting of 
the latter is in no wise comparable to death. 
2. Natural death appears to first occur in the lowest Metazoa, 
i.e. the Orthonectides, through the adjustment (normirung) of the 
cells collectively in one generation, and of the somatic or pec 
liarly body-cells in a limited existence; then also in the higher 
\ Metazoa the somatic cells adjust themselves first to several, a! 
then many generations, and thus are correlated with or adjusted 
to an extended existence. pE 
3. This adjustment goes hand in hand with the differentiation 
of the cells of the organism according to the principle 
of labor in reproductive and in body-cells, and was ace 
by a process of selection. 
4. The biogenetic fundamental law applies only to the we 
celled beings, but has no application to the unicellular forms; 
also bears a relation on the one hand to repro cae 
division in the monoplastids (one-celled forms), on the 
the necessity through sexual reproduction of th walled) 
celled developmental stage in the polyplastids (many duration 
5. As in death itself, so also the shorter or longer peo 
life is solely a matter of adaptation; death is not depen 
omplished 
of divisioa 
e relation ofa 0® 
d 
oni 
primitive quality of living matter; it also is not nseguen® 
; : aie essary CO 
nected with reproduction, nor is it indeed a nec 
of the same. „i got? | 
t life is a perennial, 
Finally, our author maintains tha 
periodically interrupted state. When 
it went on without interruption; only its 
individuals of all, even the highest forms, W 
have descended in unbroken continuity from 
forms; there is a complete continuity of life. 
first introduced 08 ge 
forms change 
hich are livmg 
i 
: 
4 
tie 
zg 
4 
the cart 
im 
the oldest prime 
