ABSTRACT
After renewal of substance (issuing in growth, reproduction, differentiation and development), the second condition of the self-maintenance of an open system is homeostasis—the constancy of certain essential internal conditions characterizing the specific steady state of its processes. The holism of the organism and its auturgy are markedly displayed in this property. The subordination of particular parts and processes to a governing principle of order, and the plasticity of structure and of internal relationships within the system, permitting adjustments relevant to this central principle, are all impressively illustrated in the versatility with which homeostasis is sustained. The more complex the organism the more conspicuous these characteristics become, and complexity itself we have seen to be the outcome of self-adjustment in growth, through differentiation, to the demands of viability.
