Kapronczay Károly szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 226-229. (Budapest, 1914)
TANULMÁNYOK - Elek Gábor: 2013-ban volt Bauer Ervin halálának 75. évfordulója
ELEK, Gábor: In 2013 was the 75 th anniversary of Ervin Bauer 's death 217 Bauer ’s principle in the language of colloid nature of the living matter The following train of thoughts is totally foreign for the today biology - there are expressions and notions of colloid chemical biology. The colloidal state of matter is defined as a dynamical state of matter, the crystalloid state being the static condition. Also the colloid possesses ‘energy’ (Zwaardemaker 1927 pp 229-239; Buzágh 1931 5, 23, 62.). According to Keller ’s opinion the most important sort of the energies in the living cell is the electric one (Keller 1918). Its total is estimated E = /2 QV= Z2CV2 (Zwaardemaker 1927 235.). This is the formula for capacitors, where C is the capacitance and V the ‘potential difference’ (i.e. a potential). Since the capacitance of a plate condenser is: C=e (F/d), where e is the dielectric constant of the dispersant, E=‘A (eF/d) V2 (see Kugler and Kugler 1962 173.). The living colloid was to imaginated as solid particles dispersed in the liquid phase. These solid particles were Ruzicka’s ‘plastin1 carrying on their surface electric charges. Each pair of these particles is supposed as a small condenser. The average distance of the particles is d, the total of their charges Q, and the total of their surface F. The electric energy of the ‘living’ colloid is thus the product of the surface of the dispersed phase and the ‘potential difference’ (i.e. a potential). The living organism uses this electric energy to perform work, leading to a temporary decrease of E. The original Bauer’s principle (principle of permanent non-equilibrium of living systems) says: ‘74// living organisms are characterized by being a system that is not in equilibrium in its environment and is so organised that it transforms the sources and forms of energy taken up from its environment into such state that acts against the establishment of equilibrium in the given environment. — All the energy taken up by the organism from the environment must be fully used to deviate from the equilibrium state. All life functions are necessarily regulatory ” (in Fundamentals, Bauer 1920 10, 12-13.; see Elek-Miiller 2013). The process of taking up energy (food) from the environment needs energy in itself; therefore the organisms’ own energy (E) ought to decrease by means of potential (V) drop during the whole life. The organism - however - has to possess energy for its primary activities. This ominous decrease of E should be compensated for a life in accordance with the Bauer’s principle. In order to maintain constancy of E— taking account the E=‘A (eF/d) V2 formula - (according to the rules of algebra) d should become smaller or F larger in the course of time. Which possibility will be realised? The average distance (d) of particles - that is the dispersion of the colloid - is in itself potential (V) dependent, therefore only F might become larger and this is ensured by the above mentioned ‘regulatory’ life functions. But as F is no other than Rűzicka’s ‘plastin1 - that is Bauer’s theory clearly explains and theoretically proves Ruzicka’s ‘hysteresis’ (Bauer 1924). Bauer’s physicochemical model of the protoplasm colloid was welcome to Bauer’s principal. Although Ruzicka does not mention at all the ‘principle of permanent nonequilibrium’ he refers four times (Ruzicka 1924) to Bauer’s paper that is Bauer’s just discussed colloid model of his principle (Bauer 1924). Co-workers of Ruzicka also quote Bauer (Bergauer 1924; Krizenecky 1924) and Bauer became known as biologist (Przibram 1926 1090.; Lepeschkin 1937 45.) educated in a leading school of colloid chemistry. This was a considerable change in Bauer’s sphere of thought but this was not the most determinant source of his development.
