New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-07

1
stance that chances In their way. Also, when they
| INCEST food through some point or other Of their
bodies, they understand perfectly how to make a
choice Of the particles they wish to absorb This
choice is SOMETIMES quite well defined, for there
1 are species which feed exclusively upon particu
! lar foods Thus there are herbivorous Infusoria
/ and carnivorous Infusora."
The question of choice is obviously not less diff
cult than important TO determine. Not all scientists
| are willing to admit the inference drawn by NJ
| Binet For example. NJ. Maupes contends that
the choice Of food Is not the result Of individual
| taste in the micro-orsanisms, but is determined
by the organic structure Of their buccal apparatus,
which does not allow them to receive other forms
Of nutriment." 1t may seem to some
readers that the objection covers too
much ground; that it is capable Of
so wide an application aso diminishes its eogency.
| In that view we are inclined to agree, but NJ
| Bnet after cnndidly stating the argument Of his
| opponent, Is only stimulated by IT, to make his
demonstration the moro complete and conclusive.
Observation of the modes in which the Infusoria
seek and take their prey, follow. and from these
studies one or two excerpts may be made:
In o large number of animalcules, the prehen.
sion Of food 10 preceded by another stage, the
f'Ss rs 81 esp,ass nSs s6S
phenomena among all the PROTOCOL but shall direct
Their habits are q remarkable study III q drop
of water containing Infusoria be placed under the
microscope organisms are seen swimming rapidly
about and traversing the liquid medium In which
they are in every direction. Their movements are
ming about IT avoids obstacles often it undertakes
to force them aside: its movements seem TO be de-
signed to effect an end. which in most instances
Cd in the qaa Il feels them
its ciia 1t goes away and returns all the while
describing nEzag course similar to she paths OF
naturally occurs to the mind. In short, the act
OF iocopotion. as seen in detached 1nfuSorial ex-
hibitS all the marks of voluntary movement
Hero is an account of the hunter Infusoria:
The hunter Infusoria are constantly running
is NOT directed toward one object any more than
Changing aHP aS S@e
part Of the body bearing the battery Of trehocyss
and crush it at this point OF the action they go
through certain manoeuvres that ore prompted
by guiding will II very seldom happens that
the shattered victim remains modonless after
direct collision with the mouth Of itS aSf e;
about the scene cf action, turning both right and
left In search Of his hfeless prey. This search
successful in finding his victim be starts of once
| more to the chase, and resumes his Irregular anc
rowing course.
The Didinum is armed with a number OF
flamentols darts, which IL discharges at its vic
tract:
The prehension Of food by the Didinium ex-
hibits interesting aspects which have not as YET
bisni, In his first observations, had often been
surprised Of seeing animalcula that the Ddlmum
had passed by without touching suddenly stop as
Gus specimen strai ghtway approached ana SelLeu
them with seeming facility More careful e., ex-
nisbed thesiSev 70 this enigma. II while swiftly
turning in the water, the Didinium happens in
The neighbcrhool Of on animsioulum, say Enhn-
BIZ casting Of IL quantity Of becillary cOrpusClss
which constitute its phnryngeal arnatnre. Inc
shows no other sign OF vitality than feeby to beat
| the water with its vibracle ctba; On evey Noe
Of IT be scattered the darts sS "s ana 1Sey
thrusts forth from It's mouth an orNn SInnpH
ike tongue, relatively long, and resembling 9
sxtxemity of this rod 1t fastens on some part OF
the Paramcciums body; The latter Is then grsan-
ally brought near by the a Ga Of the
ITdfnium which opens wide, assuming the hhhp99
Of a vast funnel, in which the prey j S""ho"0o
up. .,..n,, oro
mot as NJ. Binet is careful TO point out cohclu
s,vs, but thew are strongly corroborattve OF MS
brpotheSis and taken in consideration win MS
remarkable observations upon the funcsons OF
the nucleus and upon formulation they poih1 10
new and most significant conceptions upon inc
psvchology Of the lowest organisms. Inc senrr"
belief has been that the sensiblhty or lrritsohY'
ne il is not very happily termed, OF the micro
| Organisms resides in the protoplasm itself. Inc
| researches Of NJ. Binet have convinced him that
| tho nucleus is the true seat OF senslDlhy' ana
| Of what may be called the higher phenomena
| generally, for he has discovered by EXPERIMENT
| upon fissiparous organisms that when ol'lSon
tal,es place. and one Of the fragments is impro-
| is lost and death ensues.
The main question is then put by 81 binet'
| ~ Tho question now remains, whether the COM
,Hcated experiments made in muscular physiology
which M Rjchet generalizes and extends 10 the
| pbvsiology of all cellules, include ana compfe-
| bsnd the whole psychology Of an 1ndependenI
| o,eanism. and whether we may say with III
Richet that irrtability represents all OF oenu'ar
| nsvoholoRy,S This Is his answer: PlslnV not
| The numerous facts which we have cited IN inc
| foresoins essay transcend the too narrow HmiH
| within which Sc has been attempted 10 connne
| the PSYCHOLOGY of the CELL We sbal restric'
| Ourselves to the mention OF one Oh Uese
phenomena, 20 show the complexity of the psychic
rto ~ rn,cro-oreanisns; IL is the existence OF
mower Of selection exercised either in the search
| for TODD or in the manoeuvres attending conluga-
tion This act of selection 10 o capital phenomenon
va NAV take il as the characteristic feature Of
functions pertaining 70 the nervous system"
| Ap,in he says: I'VE may resume all the fore
going into the statement that every micro-organ-
| lem has a psychc life, the completely Of which
,n,c.nds Ike limits OF celluhf irritabiGty, from
| the fact that every micro-organism possesses
| faculty Of selection It chooses It's food, as 1t
! bkewise chooses the animal with which II con-
jugates."
| In conclusion IL may be said that, though the
| issues Joined between Messrs. Binet, Rlchet and
Ronanes are yet undetermined, the essay here
reviewed is an important contribution to the Set,