1886. Both walls are opposed to each other like light and darkness,
like air and water. The external is the light-and air-wall, the
internal the darkness-and water-wall.
1887. It is consequently only the internal wall that stands in the same
relation as the root. The internal is "par excellence" root, and is
thus a main organ of absorption.
1888. The external wall comes under the idea of the stem-bark, and
in so far only as this has a root-nature in itself, is it likewise
absorbent.
1889. As upon the external animal wall the light and air constantly
operate--for without light indeed no animal originates--so is this
wall more and more removed from the idea of the root, and becomes,
by virtue of the influence of light and air, instead of an absorbent
organ, an organ rather of decomposition--an _evaporation's organ_.
1890. As a cyst the internal wall incloses the nutritive matter,
which originates from the mucus, and thus from the organic water. The
internal wall is therefore constantly immersed in the water, and is
consequently in every respect a root.
1891. As the animal is only developed in light, so must the function
of the root languish in the external wall, and decay, because it is
devoid of the earth, which protects it from or against the light. This
deficiency is compensated for in another way, or by the formation of a
cavity, into which the media of nutrition enter, and which is dark like
the earth.
1892. Internal and external wall stand also opposite to each other,
like water and air. The one is the water-, the other the air-wall.
1893. The nutritive matters are not decomposed upon the internal wall
by extraneous influences, but they remain identical; ay, they become
indifferent, because they enter into darker and warmer water.
1894. On the other hand such nutritive matters are decomposed upon the
external wall; and there here therefore gradually originates, instead
of the chemicalizing root-process, the polarizing process of air.
1895. In a perfect light-animal it is only the internal wall that is
chemicalizing; the external has become oxydizing. The internal is a
mucus-wall, but the external, on account of the decomposition of mucus,
an oxygen-wall.
_Division._
1896. The more an animal has been exposed to the air and light, by so
much the greater is the antagonism between its internal and external
wall. In aquatic animals the antagonism is at its minimum, because
externally and internally there is water; both parietes are therefore
mucus-walls. The external wall of the fishes secretes an abundance of
mucus, as does that also of the worms, snails, and molluscs.
1897. But an internal wall is still the more mucous of the two, because
it is darker and warmer.
1898. At first the animal is content with the antagonism of the walls;
especially so long as it remains occluded in dark and deep water,
or within other animals. Many intestinal worms, polyps, and even
Acalephous animals, are but simple sacs.
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