22 C. E. FAWSITT. 



For rats, (12) calcium and phosphorus are apparently 

 indispensable, and are required in some quantity. With 

 regard to the elements magnesium, sodium, potassium and 

 chlorine it has been found that if only one of these was 

 absent, growth continued at the normal rate. 



It has been found that maize/ 13) when supplied with the 

 elements, hydrogen, carbou, nitrogen, oxygen, magnesium, 

 silicon, phosphorus, sulphur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, 

 manganese, iron and zinc would not develop, whereas when, 

 in addition, very small quantities of compounds of boron 

 (No. 5), fluorine (No. 9), aluminium (No. 13), and iodine 

 (No. 53) were given, growth was obtained. 



It is usually accepted without question that the "Con- 

 servation of Mass" holds good for ail chemical changes in 

 the life process, and it is assumed also that there is no 

 transmutation of elements in living organisms. It has 

 already been mentioned that there is apparently no method 

 by which we can cause the ordinarily stable elements to 

 change, and it does not yet appear that the introduction 

 of the life factor helps us at all here. Plants starved in 

 respect to what are apparently essential elements soon die, 

 and animals and human beings subjected to complete star- 

 vation (with the exception of water) steadily lose weight. 

 Catabolism must go on although in diminished measure/ 14) 



Possible Transmutation of Elements in Life. 

 If however, as Sir Oliver Lodge suggests, "Life intro- 

 duces an incalculable element," it might seem to be an open 

 question whether transmutation may not on occasion take 

 place in the living organism. No evidence has yet appeared 

 which suggests that there may be such a transmutation of 

 ordinarily stable elements, in order to supply other elements 

 lacking in the diet, but systematic experiments to test 

 this would not, 1 think, be superfluous. If such transmuta- 

 tion takes place it would be most readily demonstrated in 



