or of frequent recurrence, secondarily effect a change of volume of the entire living organism. One can, therefore, hardly reject the conclusion that seeing the close interworkings of the individual part process of metabolism, every change of rapidity of a single member, if of prolonged duration or of frequent occurrence, must finally lead to qualitative alterations of the entire metabolism. In consequence there results an important dependence between catalytic stimulation and metamorphic reaction. Indeed, it is not unlikely that the metamorphic reactions, which are especially seen in the continued effect of weak stimuli, result from alterations of rapidity, which the individual members of the vital processes have primarily undergone from this influence. [52] _Max Verworn_: “Die cellularphysiologische Grundlage des Gedächtnisses.” Zeitschrift f. allgemeine Physiologie, Bd. VI, 1907. [53] _Max Verworn_: “Allgemeine Physiologie.” V. Aufl. 1909, pages 649–671. It is perhaps expedient to cite a concrete instance in illustration. A simple example is furnished by asphyxiation. If oxygen is withdrawn from any living organism, the result is a depression of its oxydation processes. Here there is primarily only a change in rapidity, especially a retardation of oxydation processes. The metabolism, however, proceeds, the disintegration of living substance continues, although at a slower rate, but produces an accumulation of other products. Whereas formerly during the existence of a sufficient supply of oxygen an oxydative disintegration of nitrogen-free groups into carbon dioxide and water took place, both of which could easily be eliminated from the cell, the anaërobic disintegration furnishes only complex products, having a higher carbon content, such as lactic acid, fatty acids, aceton, etc. These, being more difficult to excrete from the cell, accumulate. These asphyxiation products have in their turn a depressing effect and so on. In this way the whole metabolism is forced into a wrong course. The accumulation of fat in those tissue-cells with an insufficient blood supply, as we have seen in the case of the fat metamorphosis, is doubtless brought about in the same manner by relative oxygen insufficiency. The fatty acids accumulate as products of an incomplete combustion and combine with glycerine to form neutral fats. In like manner it may be that the accumulation of amyloid substance in amyloid metamorphosis, of lime salts in arteriosclerosis, etc., is produced by a primary depression of the individual constituent processes of the particular cells.