The Living Substance as such, and as Organism

Abstract

THE authoress of this wordy treatise informs us (p. 173) that she started from a neutral position with regard to Bütschli's vesicular theory, or even with a bias against it. Now, however, having become the most ardent of converts, she proceeds, with the proverbial zeal of a proselyte, to carry the original doctrine to extremes. Not content with proclaiming the existence of foams undreamt of by Bütschli—“wheels within wheels” ad infinitum—she utters what amounts to a denunciation of all previous statements of biological fact and theory as misleading and inadequate, and urges in effect that the whole science of life needs recasting from the new point of view. So far, she is doubtless within her rights. There is nothing in the expression of even the most singular views which can legitimately form the subject of complaint. Time tries all things; and of the numerous hypotheses that are every year thrown out to take their chance in the world of scientific opinion, some will stand the test and will become the recognised truths of a later generation, while others are simply destined to die a natural death. But there is no excuse for presenting any theory in such a form as that of the present volume. The obscurity of the style, the inordinate length of the argument, the wearisome repetitions, the general want of method and arrangement, form an unfair tax on the patience of the reader, who may be excused if he fails to find the one half-pennyworth of bread to this intolerable deal of sack. The authoress should have given us, in an orderly manner, first the facts she has observed, and secondly such interpretations of them as she thought warranted. Instead of this she has produced a confused and intricate commentary on phenomena that for the most part are either not recorded at all, or are referred to in such a vague and general manner as to make it extremely difficult to judge of their import. It is true that she appeals from time to time to her “researches” and “results,” without, however, proving much more than her ignorance of the meaning of those words. Here and there we find an observation of interest, as on pages 58 (chromatin in the cytoplasm), 70 (explanation of apparent Brownian movements), 116 (protoplasmic interchange in colonies of Raphidiophrys). But these are scattered and scanty, nor are they recorded with scientific precision. Moreover, the want of arrangement is such that the reader who wishes to refer a second time to any observation will be at a loss to find it. Here and there, also, some semblance of a definite conclusion seems about to emerge from the general chaos. But the expected result, when not of a trite and obvious character, usually proves elusive; and the reader who had hoped to grasp a new piece of knowledge finds himself put off with a handful of empty verbiage—Ter frustra comprensa man us effugit imago.

The Living Substance as such, and as Organism.

By Gwendolen Foulke Andrews. Pp. 176. (Boston: Ginn and Co., 1897.)