On the Motion of Growth. VI. Energetics of Bacterial Growth and Heat Production

Abstract

In several previous communications 1-5 we have outlined a concept in which the phenomena of growth and metabolism are viewed as separate forms of a single underlying mode of motion. A scaffolding is thus provided by which each of these major processes may be studied more directively. But our descriptions up to this point have been restricted to the special case of human growth and metabolism, and it is therefore proposed, since the methods and the theory are sufficiently general, to consider an example of the cognate phenomena in a population of unicellular organisms. In order, however, to apply the present theory, it is essential that we possess simultaneous information upon the two chief processes in action, namely, growth and coincidental heat production. Such data, for our purposes, need to be more than ordinarily accurate, else analysis is labor in vain. Considering the difficulties at hand, there is small wonder that suitable observations are few; indeed, in the bacteriological field there are no data which are more worthy of attention and study than those reported within the past few years by Bayne-Jones and Rhees. 6 We shall employ the data on growth and simultaneous heat production as recorded for their experiment 2 in order to illustrate the general method of application of our own results.