Explore how living matter shows chemical signs of life and how scientists detect them in nerves and other tissues.
This book surveys the chemical changes that accompany nerve impulses, extends the idea to seeds and plants, and explains how a new instrument helps measure life through metabolism.
The author describes the idea that life can be tested not by emotion or thought alone, but by physical and chemical changes that occur with activity. By examining irritability, conduction, and metabolic rate, the work connects everyday nerve activity to broader questions about living processes, with careful experiments and data guiding the discussion.
- How chemical changes accompany nerve impulses and what they reveal about irritability and metabolism
- Techniques for measuring carbon dioxide production as a proxy for metabolic activity
- Comparisons across tissues, ages, and even seeds and plants to broaden the scope of life signs
- Practical methods and an appendix on using the biometer for biological research
Ideal for readers of physiology and early 20th‑century scientific inquiry into what makes living systems tick.