Elementary biology : descriptive and experimental / by John Thornton.

  • Thornton, John
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Elementary biology : descriptive and experimental / by John Thornton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of plants; for a plant organ, as a leaf, serves several pur- poses at the same time, more so than in the case of animals, as we shall learn later. Accordingly, we have in the higher animals not only organs connected with the great life-pro- cesses of respiration, digestion, excretion, etc., but a system or set of organs connected with each of these processes. The digestive organs, for example, include parts of the mouth, the stomach, the liver, the pancreas, and the intes- tines. In a later chapter we shall describe the organs of respiration, circulation, and digestion in some detail. 5. Biological Division of Labour.—In early ages, and under primitive conditions of society, every man used to make the things he required from the materials he himself obtained from nature. Every man of an uncivilized tribe was his own hunter, toolmaker, tailor, shoemaker, etc. As a consequence every process was but slow and laborious, and the result but poor. Gradually, however, men found that greater and better results could be acquired by con- fining the efforts of each to one kind of work, and obtaining from other special workers, by exchange, the other things that they needed. The various kinds of work belonging to daily life were thus distributed or divided among the workers, and there arose distinct occupations. Some became farmers and raised grain, and when they wanted protection for their feet, they gave some of their grain in return for the shoes made by those who confined their work to shoemaking. From this division of labour quicker and better results were obtained. By confining attention to one kind of work the worker becomes more expert and skilful, and does the work with the least expenditure of energy and material. The farmer, shoemaker, tailor, etc., however, only illustrate a moderate division of labour, for the principle can be ex- tended until there is a vast number of distinct kinds of work—until one man no longer makes shoes, but only shapes toe-caps or puts on the heel. In a modern shoe factory at
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