Beauty and the Beast: Life and the Rule of Order

Author(s): Paul Weiss

Source: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 81, No. 6 (Dec., 1955), pp. 286-299
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
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Beautyand the Beast:
Lifeand theRule of Order
PAUL WEISS

Dr. Weiss, formerly a professor of zoology at the University of Chicago, is a

nember of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York.
This article is based on his vice-presidential address delivered before Section F
at the AAAS Boston meeting of December 1953.

SAID "YourpoorBeast dried stems and leaves of common garden plants

theBeastto Beauty,
would die of griefforyourabsence; I could (5) have served as prototypesfor such decorative
IL not live withoutyou." art as this Gothic wrought ironwork (6). The
Said Beauty to the Beast, "You shall live to be gradientof densityfrom center to margin shown
my husband,for I reallylove you." by the branchingpatternof the veins of leaves (7)
And so, accordingto the story,beauty and ani- is utilized in this antique vase (8).
mal became united and have been one ever since. What all such objects have in common that
Quite naturally.For, beauty is order; life is order; underlies and makes us sense theirbeauty is their
hence life is beauty. It is a syllogism-thatsimple. display of regularityand consistency;regularity
I say thereis beauty in the living form.Let me expressedin such featuresas symmetry, repetition,
call my witnesses.First,yourself. and alternationof elements; and consistency,as
This is one of Haeckel's superb drawingsfrom in the use of curves, proportions,size gradients,
his Kunstformender Natur (1), a medusa, which and so forth,in subdividingspace. In short,we
showsall the attributesof beauty that G. D. Birk- sense the rule of order over randomness,of pat-
hoffhas enumeratedin his treatiseon Aesthetic ternover chaos, of law over accident.The patterns
Measure [Harvard Univ. Press, 1933]: symmetry, we perceiveare of both space and time.
balance, rhythm,and, I may add, a pleasing ratio This 12th-century Japanese scroll (9) may illus-
of constancy and variety. You will concede its trate the artist'suse of angles, periodic interrup-
beauty. tions,and regular,tlhouigh not rigid,dispositionin
Or take this next design (2), which is not part space of units to create an impressionof harmony.
of an oriental temple,but the radula of a snail. If for a momentyou view these treesas scales on
To scan its rhythmicand well-proportioned struc- fishskin,you will see the link betweenthis canvas
tureis surelyan estheticpleasure. and our living,objects.
Next witnesses,the artists,who tturnto living Now, take the nextscroll (10) . It showsthe very
nature for models of their patterns.Young ferns same rhythimic arrangenment of elements,but this
like these (3) no doubt inspired the ornamental is no longer a static space pattern; it is rhythmic
staffsof shepherds and bishops (4), just as the motion, arrested for a split second and frozeninto

* *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..

VI

t I ~ ~ *

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a picture: tiine order translatedinto spatial di-
mensions.
A rhythmicprocess,recordingits own beats on
a movingtape, thuswritesa wave patternin space
that is instructive
and at the same timebeautiful,
as in these recordsof periodic nerve discharges
from lobster ganglia (11). There is really no
fuindamentaldifferencebetween the family of
curves that representthe tracingsof successive
reflexdischarges(12) and the curvilineardesigns
on shells and other growingstructures(13), for
both are but residualtracksin space of sequences
of eventsrepeatedin regularsuccession: time in-
tervaltranscribed to space interval.
This leads me to my centraltheme.In the last
analysis,whateverorganic formwe view has had
its historyand has come to be what it is through
long sequences of developmentalprocesses.And

p 4.

,'5<,j b-- .' -

: . .3
^5,''E'~~~~~j "

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since all form is thus merelya momentarycross
sectionthrougha streamof formativeand trans-
formativeprocesses,what we admire as order and
beautyin the finalformis only a product and an
index of the measured orderlinessof the develop-
mental actions and interactionsby which it has
come about. Static form is only a precipitateof
underlyingand antecedent formativedynamics.
Goethe called architecture"frozenmusic." In the
same sense, organic form is frozen development;

Ii4
and formal beauty reflectsdevelopmentalorder.
Justas treesrecordtheirspurtsof growthas tree
rings,so do many animals preserve a record of
their periodic growth in hard deposits, such as
shellsor hornsor nails. The beauty of such prod-
ucts thus epitomizesthe law of growth.This is wwt: t~~~~1
most strikingly exemplifiedby the shells of snails
(14), whose convolutionsgrow steadilyin width
as theyadd to theirlength.Convenientlysome of 44AR
them beat time, as it were, by markingequal in-
tervalsbyridges(15) or spines (16) or horns (17);
and ifwe measurethe segmentsthusadded serially,

s-i8

I-~~
tI;y
4.~ ~~1

at4..]
V49f'*'v f1

-
ll*)x4
we note, as in this section througha shell (18),
that each new one is an exactly proportional,
thoughmagnified,versionof the immediatelypre-
ceding one.
It is not surprisingthat for nearly 250 years,
since the days of Reaumur, the subject of mollusk

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shells has attractedthe joint attentionof biolo-
gists,mathematicians,and studentsof design. In
general,this growthpatternconformsto a curve
knownas a logarithmic spiral,or equiangularspiral.
It has many remarkableproperties,for instance,
the one shown in this diagram (19), which illus-
-Y
.;
tratesthatthe ratio of any two successivesegments
meetingat identical angles (in this case 900) ij
constant.As the curve lengthensor "grows,"geo.
metricsimilitudeof successivesectorsis preserved
Whatthisimpliesin actual fact is simplythat the
widthof the turns increases at a fixed ratio tc
theirlength.This is indeed what one senses di.
rectlyby lookingat the section of the shell. The
curvemerelyconfirmsand gives precisionto one's
immediate impression.
The beautyof the shell,which lies in its law ol
growth,has thus been reduced to mathematica]
formulation.This is pertinent.But let me add ai
once that in past effortsat reducing form tc
formulas, therehas been a notable streakof plair
numerology, conjuring mysticalnumerical prop.
ertiesof the structureof the universe. Some ol
theseformulascame close enough to the truth:
forinstance,successivegrowthinstallmentsin oui
snailsfitroughlythe so-called Fibonacci series,in
which each member is the sum of the two im-
mediatelyprecedingones (20). This same series
appliesto thephenomenonof phyllotaxisin plants.
Yet, on closerinspectionof the series,we note a
I ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~'
*1
December1955
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peculiar property: the ratio between any two
successivememberstends to become nearly con-
stant as it convergesupon a mean value around
1.618. The real crux of the matter is then this
constancyof ratio and this, in turn, strippedof
all sophistry,is simplya reaffirmation of the law
of logarithmicgrowth.
The value of 1.618 has in turnbeen the subject
of serious, as well as playful, speculation. It is
related to what the Greekstermedthe divine sec-
tion, now better known as the golden mean. It
gives the proportionsof a rectanglein which the
smaller side bears the same relationshipto the
larger one as the larger one bears to the sum of
both (21). Art and architectureof the antique
L
I
I _
* ,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
and Renaissance have made ample use of this
highlysatisfying proportion.But its biologicalsense
lies in its intrinsicrelationshipto the logarithmic
spiral.For ifwe erecta square over the largerside,
the resultantbiggerrectanglehas again the same
proportionsas the first,and repeating this pro-
cedure on and on, one obtains a series of super-
imposed rectangles that define a logarithmic
spiral (22).
22F
289
 This linkingof geometryand growthmakesvalid
sense. We cannot say the same of such playful
exercisesas applyingharmonicanalysisin termsof
the golden mean to human face and figure(23);
althoughthis has been dignifiedby the mastersof
the antique and Renaissance, it can hardly be
justifiedas biologicallymeaningful.
8 .O;iI
w(I~~~~~~~~~io6

well as radial, regularity,

which is not impairedin
the least-indeed, perhaps it is accentuated-by
the minordeviationsand imperfections of local de-
I,
tail. Other examples of rhythmicconcentricpat-
I/- terns are sense organs of the skin (27) and the
Haversian systemsof bone (28).

Our theme,that the beautyof formsrestson the

lawfulnessof theirformation,has many variations.
Of these I can sample only a few. They all relate
to geometricallyregularsystemsof lines or points.
Let us choose firsta simple type of polar pat-
orEi
ON ~ a~2
7~~~~~~~~~~~~~O

terns,those organized around the circle and its

radii. A starch grain, when swollen, breaks into
snmallerunits stacked in concentric layers with
marked radial alignment (24). The same design Since radius and circumference intersectat right
angles, these circular patternsare actually but a
special case of the more general principle of
orthogonal intersections,that is, of patterns of

Q0 2 lines crossingat rightangles. The nerve plexus of

the intestinewell illustratesthis pattern of warp
and woof (29). The fineorthogonaltraceryof the
spongypart of our bones (30) is similarlyorgan-
30 ~ Fc3oc

-.f 4

~ ~ ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1

o~oc~kP24 mg I

-I .

returnsin the skeletal arrangementof this disk- I '.1~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~4

shaped diatom (25) and perhapseven more hand-
*2
somelyin the crosssectionthroughthe spine of a
sea urchin (26). Note the beautifulconcentric,as

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ized. These gross or microscopic textures are
matchedon the submicroscopiclevel by a remark-
able orthogonalfabricwhich we discovereda few
years ago under the electron microscope; this is
the basement membrane of the amphibian skin
(31) consistingof about 20 layers of collagen p
fibrilsneatly stacked up with alternatingorienta-
tions. (To indicate the magnification,the height
of the illustrationcorrespondsto about 5 microns).
Likewise on the electron-microscopic level is this
pictureof the chitinousframeworkof a scale of a
moth's wing (32). The major ridges are cross- .4

linkedby braces in ratherregularfashionwithjust

enough variation to make the picture interesting.
Now, climbingback to more conventionaldimen-
sions, we rediscoveressentiallythe same pattern
1. 4%

. .4

* *Jm

p .

'4%

a
ha
in this communityhousing project of the lace
coral (33).
The manifesttractsof fibersor skeletonsin the
precedingpicturesshouildagain be viewed as the
N. embodted histories of their development-the
9.
nerves, of the directionsalong which they had
grown; the collagen fibrils,of the forcesthat had
aligned them; the bone spicules, of tension and
i*.Y,31 pressuresystems;the corals,of the polarized build-
ing activitiesof the colony. Now, instead of de-
positingsuch immediatelyvisible precipitates,the
developmentalgrid may merelyset off,at nodal
pointsof its fabricor lattice,new secondaryproc-
-at
esses of growthand differentiation. For instance,
t
the scales in the skinof fishes(34) seem to emerge
at intersectionsof two periodic line systems,and
so do the papillae in the feathertractsof birds.
The processremindsus somewhatof the tackingof
tiles to a roof. The analogy of shinglesis obvious
when one looks at the scales on the wing of a
butterfly(35). And even neater grids are shown

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by the teethon a snail's radula (36), by the hex-
agonal arrayof facets in the insect'seye (37), or
by the papillae of a leopard's tongue (38). All of
theseexamplescontain one elementin commonto
both beauty and soundness of construction:the
rhythmically repeated use of identical parts-the
principleof periodicity.

d:;~

4bit
'.~~~~~~~~~~*tr*'~~~~~~~~~~~~~A

,J e-
ow
0:.~~~~~~

9..w f

*S2 1"001

microscope,note the similarappearance of an in-

dividual fibrilof cross-striated
muscle (42), with

F
segmentsless than 1000th of those of the insect
larva. Back to the macroscopic,we see the prin-
cinle of maior and minor neriodsonce more nro-
The estheticvalue of this principleis borne out
by its common usage in artisticcompositions.In
this Japanese painting (39), for example, the
planks forma primaryrepeat pattern,with three ~~~~~~~~~~
pairs of nails in each givinga secondaryrhythm.
Repeat patterns like these characterize organic
structurefromits molecularunitsup to the spinal
column of the dinosaur.A fiberof collagen under
the electronmicroscope (40) shows regular seg-

ft
ments, 640 angstromslong (the stretchof fiber
seen here measuresless than 2 micronsfromtop to
bottom). Compare this with the banding of a 42. 4
caterpillar (41) in which each segmentis of the b :
II**
order of several millimeters,
with secondarybands
marked in between. Returning to the electron

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jected in the versatilemollusk shell (43). And
last, the familiar rhythmicbanding of the lepi-
dopteran wing (44).
In presentingthese examples I have made no 4;~~~~~~~
distinctionbetweenthe ways in which these vari-
ous rhythms are produced. In some instances,they 0*~~~~~~~~ -
ariseby the linkingand stackingin registerof units
of standard size into long chains and bundles,as I

in collagen and muscle; in others,the rhythms are i i

due to alternatingups and downs of growth rates,
as in shells; and in still others,they may result
fromspreadingwave actions,as has been variously
suggestedforthewingdesignsof mothsand butter- * I

flies.A wave patternis pleasing by its rhythmic

alternationof dark and light,or high and low, ex-
pressingregularpulsesof eventsin orderlyrelation- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I~
I

ships,synchronized in timeor linkedin space. For,

this is what a wave frontmeans: all points along
the frontare beating in unison and pass their
rhythmon to the rest of the system.The system
thus submitsto coordination,in contrastto an-
archic behavior,in which each elementarbitrarily
setsitsown phase and its own pace of action unre-
lated to the others,the whole becominga blur of
randomnesswith no design whatever. On the T'he streaksof cloudson a mackerelsky(47) reveal
otherhand,we mustnot forgetthateven the regu- the same morphology,and yet a thirdtypeof dy-
lar wave,whenviewedfromclose range,will at any namicsunderliestheirpattern.If waterwaves from
one momentshow capricioussingularitiesthat will two directionscrosseach other,theyleave the im-
pressof theirinteractionsin the plasticsand at the
bottomin a grid of intersectinglines with nodes
(48) not unlikethe grain of lizard skin.
Clearly,the beauty of all these patternsresides

4.~
0~~~~~~~~~~~

neverrecurin quite thesame form.In otherwords,

orderin the grossdoes not rule out uniquenessof
detail,and vice versa.
~~~~~4~~1k
lv s-e-*s.I'
The originof wave formsis verydiverse.Waves
are prominentin this microscopicshadow cast of :~~~~*
the enamel surface of a tooth (45) with ridges
'%

and valleys like the AlleghenyMountains. Note

how closely this pattem resemblesthe ridges or %:
dunes in windblownsand (46), which owe their
originto whollydifferent dynamics.Let me stress
once again in thispicturethe great over-all regu-
larity that pervades this pattern consistentwith
the minorfaultsand deformations here and there.

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in the formalsimilarityof theirdynamics,regard-
less of the nature of the agents and vehicles. To
realize this helps us to gain a balanced attitude
toward nonlivingmodels as analogs of biological
processes: an attitude of neither shunningthem
for fear theybe mistakenfor the real thing,nor,
on the other hand, falling for the delusion that
theymay be the real thingafterall.
When Liesegang firstshowed that continuous
diffusionin jellies may automaticallylead to dis-
continuousrhythmic the well-known
precipitations,
Liesegang rings of colloidal silver (49), this was
promptlyadopted as a possible explanation of db--
rhythmicband patternsin animals, for instance,
in lepidopteranwings.It proved to be a too simple
assumption.The coloringagent melanin does not
itselfspread in this fashion.And yet the principle
is still correct.It seems establishednow that cer-
tain local regionsof the wing issue a process,call ill, *8 itN
it inductionor transmission or conductionof some-
thingstillunidentified, that spreads over the wing
in wavelikefashion,thus causing alternatingbands E E v
of the scale cell population to produce melanin
or not, depending on whetherthey were at the
crestor valley of a wave. So, models of the Liese- is the drippingfaucet,wherewater feedsthe drops
gang ringtypedo have some biological pertinence. continuously, but dropswill break offonlyperiodi-
cally as theirweightovercomescohesion. In mor-
phogenesiswe may expect such patternsto arise
wherever local processes are in competitionfor
somethingfromtheirsurroundings, so that another
process of the same kind would have no chance
to get started concurrently,except at a safe dis-
tance where it can assert its own competitive
strength.As a result,therewill be blank, no man's
lands spared out betweenthe active centers,divid-
I, ing the space continuuminto harmoniouspatterns
of rhythmically alternatingproperties.
49 The typesof patternsresultingfromsuch group
dynamics can be diagramed (53). The lower
quadrants show two patternsof continuouslines:
the rightone, of random dimensionsand distribu-
I cannot resistthe urge to offera glimpse of
the complex order and beauty of rhythmicdif- lw
fusionand precipitationpatternsinvolvingcolloids
(50, 51). These are two samples froma collection
in my possessionof chemical reactions on filter
paper prepared nearly 100 years ago by Runge-
the firstpaper chromatograms.
Diffusion in jelly-filledtubes gives Liesegang
bands with major and minor periods (52). This .4 .

discontinuity is a thresholdphenomenon,for only dqw

-- I - 1%

at a certaindistancefroman establishedband can . 0

silvergrains reach the requisitethresholdconcen-

It
)

trationto formanotherband. In its general char- A.

acter, this is a valid model of numerousrhythmic tA
processes in biological systems.Their. prototype 4obb..
1

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tion; the left one, of more regular arrangement,
the rule of order being that the line retains its
averagewidthand remainsseparatedfromitselfby
a standardmargin.The top part of the diagram
shows this same principle for discontinuoussys- 6

tems.The estheticsuperiority of the leftover the

rightpanels is immediatelyapparent. Although
the lack of symmetry marks them as of a lower
degreeof orderthan thatof our previousexamples,
theystill contrastagreeably with the disordered k-
randomnessof theirrightcouinterparts.
A fewexamplesmay illustratehow thisprinciple
of harmoniousspace fillinghas been implemented
in organismsand their parts. This brain coral
(54) looks like a direct embodimentof the sym-
bolic line patternof the last diagram. Note how
its brancheswith
thissea fan coral (55) distributes

- 9; I .

4~~~~~

4~~~~~~~~5

r v~ ~ 5

'Si~~~~~~~~~~:.
muscle fibersset off in space, keeping their dis-
tance. If we singleout one such fiber,we note that
it is dotted with smaller discrete elements,the
myofibrilsappearing in cross section as black
stippling.Now, we may pick out one such black
dot and magnifyit enormouslyunder the electron
thesame average densitythroughoutthe structure, microscope(60). A whole island here corresponds
withno big holes nor overcrowdinganywhere.The
same patternis foundherein thedendriticprocesses
of a singlenervecell of the cerebellum(56), or in
the gastrovasculararborizationsof the fluke (57),
or finally,perhaps the prettiestof them all, in the
venationof a leaf (58). All these are continuous
line systems,branchedwith or withoutanastomos- r~~~~~~~~6
ing,but alwaysof regulateddensity.
Next is an example of harmoniousbut discon-
tinuousfillingof a given space. This cross section
througha muscle (59) shows the individuallarge

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to one little dot of the preceding picture (the . I A,l -0- I
- w_
v
.t. ., _e J_ - . I' IJ.,. -' - - -' -
'_ .-, , b .i _ . _ .

whole widthof the illustrationcorrespondsto ap-

proximately1 micron). We observenow that each
fibrilis once more subdividedinto a regulararray
of smaller units hexagonally packed and tenta-
tivelyidentifiedas the contractileprotein chains
of myosinand actin. So, exemplifiedhere is one
and the same principleof orderlypackingrepeated
in three magnitudes,fromthe macroscopicdown
1 mSf
.1M1
to the molecular.
The order in this case is a visible expressionof
the interactionbetween the constituentelements,
which, in a sense, keep one another at arm's
length.As we look at well-spacedbone cells (61), in larger dimensionsas the self-orderingof sys-
we can literallysee the arms that keep themapart temsof particlesin cells,or cells in tissues,or parts
in the ground substance,and the same is true in in organisms,or even organismsin a group. Wher-
thispictureof flagellatedbacteria (62). However, ever we studysuch emergentorder, we recognize
it to be of tripartiteorigin,involving(i) elements
r.
with inner order, (ii) their orderlyinteractions,
and (iii) an environmentfit to sustain their
ordered group behavior. There may be, after all,
a common principle embracing the hexagonal
stackingpatternin this virus crystal (64) shown
a. under the electronmicroscope,the hexagonal ar-
ray of proteinfibersin muscle (60), of facets in
the insecteye (37), and even of eggs on a water
bug's back (65).
.4:

SKi? jW
4gfl _ A _ -~~~~~~~~~~~~~

what appear here as visiblemechanical extensions

are in most other cases just fieldsof interacting -.; ; L
forcesthatstakeout the territoryof a structureand
keep it clear of the intrusionof another like it. r ~ ~ ,.
Once more, estheticdesign has yielded to resolu-
tion to termsof orderlydynamics.
Now, wheredoes all thislead us? The common
element of appeal we have discovered in these
manifold patterns is their nonrandomness-the
presence of some rule of ordered distributionof
units. It startsin the molecular realm and per-
vades the living structureall the way up to its
harmonioustotal form. Yet, as I have tried to
stress,the finalharmonywe visuallyadmire is but
the product of the rules of harmonythat have
governed its makings. The next diagrams were
developed to depict emergingorder in molecular
and colloidal dimensions (63); the far left ones
show a randomdisarrayof isotropicor polar parti-
cles, while on the right,the particlesassume pat-
ternsof variousdegreesof regularity, as in crystal-
lization.These same principles,however,reappear

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 The self-sortingof polar moleculesalong an in- tail tips in the middle and heads describingthe
terface(66) may not be differentin principleper- surfaceof a sphere (69). In all these cases we are
haps from the progressiveorder assumed by the dealing with the ordered reactionsof orderlyele-
organelles of the regenerationfield of a ciliate mentsto an orderedset of conditions,and the re-
protozoan,(67), which emerges in orderlysteps sult is order. It is this rule of order that we per-
froman erstwhileirregularnetwork.The molecu- ceive as beauty.
lar huddle of polar micellae, with homologous Yet, looking back over the whole series of our
ends pointingtoward center,as is seen in the for- examples, we realize that this is order without
mationof coacervates(68), could be a valid model minute precision, order within which there is
of the radial agglutinationof spermatozoa with scope. Therefore,let us not confound rule with
fixity,order with rigor, regularitywith stereo-
typism.Each individual is a unique form of ex-
.-v&g?isywv pressionof general normsand laws. This unique-
ness wants to be acknowledged and appreciated.
W
It reveals the absolute stereotypeas fiction,un-
|. C *
C-
natural, unorganic, nonviable if it existed. Ob-
servation of nature thus justifiesour instinctive
rebellionagainst the stereotype,against a concept
of order so mechanized and rigid as to make no
allowance for some degree of latitude for the in-
* 0C
C o0 C Oc dividual events within it. True organic order, as
we know it, sets only the general frame and pat-
tern,leaving the precise ways of executionadjust-
able, and, to thisextent,indeterminate. Esthetically,
the principle finds expression in the superiority
of handicraft,with no two objects wholly con-
gruous,over the monotonyof serial machine pro-
duction. Biologically, it manifestsitself in the
superiorityof laws of development which pre-
scribe only the mode of procedure but leave the
actual executionfreeto adapt itselfto the exigen-
cies of a world whose details are themselvesun-
io', ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ' predictable.
And politically,it ought to be our cue. Opposing
doctrinesthat make so much of theiradvocacy or
2
. deprecation,as the case may be, of what theycall
the rule of order, should, firstof all, make clear
how tighttheyconceive the order to be that they
are talkingabout.
It simplyis not true that we have no choice
except between the Scylla of lawless and reckless
exerciseof private license heading for chaos and
the Charybdisof a straitjacket of absolute con-
formitywith no leeway for exerciseof responsible
V 68~~V judgment and the freedomof decision that goes
with it. Organic nature has no room for either
scheme. It weeds them out as theyarise-the one
I-.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~k for its amorphousness,the other for its lack of
adjustability.Life is order but order with toler-
'14 ances.
If there is any lesson in the study of organic
nature,it is that there is order in the gross with
freedomof excursionin the small. Our sense of
beauty only confirmsit, for it combines pleasuire
in contemplatingthe gross, over-all order with
appreciation of pleasing variationsof detail. Let

December 1955 297

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me slhowthis once more in concrete form (70).
These are two halvesof the bivalveshellof a single
animal. Your firstimpressionis one of exquisite
symmetry. Both patternsshow, indeed, the very
same character.Yet, if you tryto compare the de-
tails,you promptlynoticehow greatlytheydiverge
one from the other. Or take another case: this
wing of the dragonfly(71) shows meshes in its
q0.
1~~~~~~~~1
I41 -l
networkwhich individuallyin their outlines and
positionsare as unique and arbitrary
as the pattern
of crackledenamel on a pot; only,in general,you
note a gradientof densityand numbersfromthe
upperto the lowermargin.Now I have subdivided
this wing into nine equal horizontal strips and
countedthe numberof mesheswithineach. Plotted
04 -
298
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serially,these nuimber s closely lit a straightline
(72). This linlethen symbolizesthe generallaw of
distribution. But juistas importantas thisstandard
course are the individual deviationsof the actual
values fromthe mean, which will be differentin
each individual case. It is these very differences
that make for diversityof individual accomplish-
ment within the rule; they make the individual
organismunique, interesting, and, above all, viable.
Thus thereis a message in the beauityof living
things,a message that I should like to summarize
in thislast diagram (73). It representstwo systems
of order as two identical lattices of equidistant
points definedby the centersof the stippled cir-
cles. The circlessymbolizethe range withinwhich
a whitepoint inside is freeto roam-a range that
is much wider in the rightthan in the left half.
t '1-
The white points mark the stationsof individual
itemsor eventswithinthe system:for instance,of
atomsin a crystal,cells in a tissue,or organismsin
a group.Each itemcan assumeany positionwithin
its circle.I have let theniassume randompositions.
Now, note thatin spiteof thisfactorof uncertainty,
or, if one wishes,of individual self-expression,
the
pattern as (; whole is well preservedand stands
out clearlv in the lefthalf; whereas on the right,
it is completelylost and obliterated.Does not this
spell out forus an organicdesignforliving?Free-
dom withinthe law: responsiblefreedomto move
withinan orbitas wide as, but no widerthan what
is compatiblewith the preservationof the over-all
order that defines the harmonyof relationships
on which effectivelivingand survivaldepend. To
judge just what the rightproportionsare calls for
a "senseof proportions,"perhapsthe golden mean,
which happens to be termsand conceptsborrowed
fromesthetics.
We may confidentlyconfrontthose who claim
that science holds no humanisticvalue with our
THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY
conclusion: beauty, as perceived by living crea-
tures such as ourselves, is but the test and valida-
tion of the rule of order over chaos and of the
tolerable degree of elemental freedom that is com-
patible with it.
So, harmony and life-beauty and beast are
one. The storyis an old one, but it is not always
told in pictures.
Illustration Credits
E. H. Haeckel, Kunstformen der Natur, 1904 (1);
W. Watson-Baker,World Beneath the Microscope, Studio
Pub., New York, 1935 (2, 25, 26, 34); K. Blossfeldt,
Wunder in der Natur, Schmidt and Gunther, Leipzig,
1942 (3, 5, 58); M. Meurer, Vergleichende Formenlehre
des Ornamentes und der Pflanze, Dresden, 1909 (4,
6, 7); K. Toda, Japanese Scroll Painting, Univ. of Chi-
cago Press, Chicago, 1935 (9, 10, 39); V. Bonnet,
L'activite rhythmiquede la cellule nerveuse et ses modifi-
cations, A. Rey, Lyon 1941 (11) ; J. C. Eccles and W.
Rall, J. Neurophysiol. 14, 1951 (12); A. Ehrhardt,
Muscheln und Schnecken, H. Ellerman, Hamburg, 1941
(13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 43, 70).
P. Weiss, original photographs (19, 20, 21, 22, 31,
50, 51, 53, 72, 73) ; M. Ghyka, The Geometry of Art
and Life, Sheed & Ward, New York, 1946 (23); A. Frey-
Wyssling, Submicroscopic Morphology of Protoplasm,
Elsevier, Amsterdam-Houston,1948 (24, 63, 66); E. von
Herrath and S. Abramow, Atlas der Normalen Histologie
und Mikroskopischen Anatomie des Menschen, G.
Thieme, Stuttgart, 1950 (27, 28, 29, 59) ; K. Zeiger,
UniversitaitHamburg (30, 38); A. Kuhn of Tiubingen
(32); Turtox News, cover illustrations(33, 36) ; A Kuhn
and K. Henke, "Genetische und Entwicklungsphysi-
ologische Untersuchungen an der Mehlmotte," Abhandl.
Ges. Wiss., Gottingen, Math.-physik. Kl., 1932 (35) -;
R. Buchsbaum, Animals Without Backbones, Univ. of
Chicago Press, Chicago, 1938 (37, 41, 54, 55, 57, 65);
R. W. G. Wyckoff,Electron Microscopy, Interscience,
New York, 1949 (40, 45, 64); C. E. Hall, M. A. Jakus,
and F. 0. Schmitt, Biol. Bull. 90, 32, 1946 (42) ; K.
Henke and G. Kruse, Nachr. Akad. Wiss. Gottingen,
Math.-physik.Kl., Heft. 2, pp. 139-98.
V. Cornish, Waves of Sand and Snow and the Eddies
That Make Them, Open Court Pub., Chicago, 1914 (46,
47, 48); E. Kiister, Uber Zonenbildung in kolloidalen
Medien, G. Fischer, Jena, 1913 (49) ; E. J. Carey,
Biodynamica 3, 251, 1941 (52); G. Levi, Trattato di
Istologia, Unione Tipografico, Torino, 1946 (56, 61);
Hugh Huxley, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (60) ;
E. Schild, Wunder in und um uns, Brilcken, Linz, 1947
(62); A. Lwoff, Morphogenesis in Ciliates, Wiley, New
York, 1950 (67); H. R. Kruyt, Ed., Colloid Science, vol.
II, Elsevier, Amsterdam-Houston, 1949 (68); A. Tyler,
Biol. Bull., 78, 159, 1940 (69); d'A. W. Thompson, On
Growth and Form, Cambridge Univ. Press, New York,
1942 (71).

ChamberedNautilus
The coverthismonthis a photographof a chamberednautilusshell (cut in half).
The shell of thenautilusis a strikingexampleof the mathematicalprecisenessthatcan
bc foundini the growthpatternsand formsof livingthings.The shell of the nautilus
has the formof a logarithmic spiral,whoseequationis r = a. X-rayphotographsof the
nautilusshell have also shownthat it is right-handed;that is, the shell spiralsin a
clockwisedirection.The cover photographwas taken by A. M. Winchester,Stetson
De Land, Florida.
tUrniversity,

December : 955 299

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