Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose, His Life and Speeches

by Jagadis Chandra Bose

"PROTECTING" PLANTS

It was a mistake to suppose that when "protected" plants would thrive better. Mothers had a tendency to keep their children away from contact with the outside world with a view to "protect" them. He had placed a plant under a glass case and the effect of it was he had a gloated and effete specimen, flabby-looking in appearance and weary under adversity, they recovered sooner and their growth was healthy just as it evolved true manhood in men. It had been commonly believed that carbonic acid gas was conducive to plant growth. That was a great mistake. In sunshine, plants readily absorbed it; but it was no more true that plants thrived on CO₂, than did human beings. He illustrated the effect of carbonic acid gas as well as oxygen. The latter was as much necessary for plants to thrive on as it was for them. Another illustration exhibited the effect of alcohol on plants and he declared amidst laughter that alcohol produced the same alternate maudlin depression and exaltation on plants that is to be observed on the human system. He said that this experiment had tickled the Americans a great deal and referred to a conversation he had with Mr. Bryan, who was a teetotaller, regarding alcohol given to plants. Some American papers had given characteristic headlines to introduce his lecture on the effect of stimulus to plants.

Another plant Desmodium which has accompanied him in his world tour was filmed on the screen. He spoke, next, of the apparatus which he had invented to record plant pulsation and the struggle they exhibited between life and death. Poisons had as much effect on plants as on men, and they could be revived by applying antidotes, this was illustrated by another chart. Another point of interest dealt with by him was the effect of warm water on plants, and he gave an exposition of his discovery to show that plants died when placed in 60 degree (centigrade) warm water. He referred to the stupendous phenomenon of invisible writing by means of which the plant recorded its own evolution.

The lecture was listened to with profound interest and lasted for an hour. Mr. Setalvad proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the Chancellor for presiding at the meeting. Lord Willingdon, in acknowledging it, said that the vote of thanks was due to Sir Jagadis rather than to himself. As he had anticipated in the beginning, the lecture had proved absorbingly interesting and he was afraid Sir Jagadis's discoveries might be positively alarming when he next visited Bombay. He hoped that they would accord Sir Jagadis a hearty vote of thanks with "true Bombay cordiality." After a few suitable remarks by Sir Jagadis the meeting terminated.

—Amrita Bazar Patrika, 5-2-1918.

THE AUTOMATIC WRITING OF THE PLANT

On the 8th February 1918, Sir J. C. Bose delivered the following discourse on 'The Automatic Writing of the Plant,' at the Bose institute:—

Sir J. C. Bose spoke of two different ways of gaining knowledge, the lesser way is by dwelling on superficial differences, the mental attitude which makes some say 'Thank God I am not like others:' The other way is to realise an essential unity in spite of deceptive appearance to the contrary. He had recently been on a visit to the western Presidency, he went there as a stranger, but he has come back with a pang at parting from kindreds. Never in his life did he realise so vividly as now the great unity that drew together all who regarded India as their home and place of work. They were bound to each other by mutual ties of dependence. He had for many years been engaged in discovering community in physical manifestations of life. Now he has realised an abiding unity in the highest manifestations of human life, in community of thoughts and ideals.

In the wide expanse of life itself few things would appear so strikingly different as the life activities in plants and in animals. But if in spite of the seeming differences, it could be proved that these life activities are fundamentally similar, this would undoubtedly constitute a scientific generalisation of very great importance. It would then follow that the complex mechanism of the animal machine, that baffled us so long, need not remain inscrutable for all time, for the intricate problems of animal physiology would then naturally find their solution in the study of corresponding problems under simpler conditions of vegetative life. That would mean an enormous advance in the science of physiology, of agriculture, of medicine, and even of psychology.

How then are we to know what unseen changes take place within the plant? The only conceivable way would be, if that were possible, to detect and measure the actual response of the organism to a definite testing blow. When an animal receives an external shock it may answer in various ways; If it has voice, by a cry, if dumb, by the movement of its limbs. The external shock is the stimulus, the answer of the organism is the response. If we can make it give some tangible response to a questioning shock, then we can judge the condition of the plant by the extent of the answer. In an excitable condition the feeblest stimulus will evoke an extraordinarily large response, in a depressed state even a strong stimulus evokes only a feeble response, and lastly, when death has overcome life, there is an abrupt end of the power to answer at all.