In this pioneering work, Alfred Binet explores the world of micro-organisms and their mysterious psychic abilities. He examines the ways in which these tiny creatures respond to stimuli and communicate with one another, shedding light on the fundamental nature of life itself. First published in 1913, this book remains a fascinating and thought-provoking exploration of the hidden world of microbial life. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

“M. Alfred Binet, the collaborator of Ribot, Féré, and one of the most eminent representatives of the French School of Psychology, has presented in this work, the most important results of recent investigations in the world of micro-organisms. The subject is a branch of comparative psychology little known, as the data of this department of natural science lie scattered for the most part in isolated reports and publications, and no attempt has hitherto been made to collate and present them in a systematized form. “Especial use has been made of the investigations of Balbiani, Claparède and Lachmann, Maupas, Ribot, Engelmann, Pouchet, Weber, Pfeffer, Kent, Dujardin, Gruber, Nussbaum, Bütschli, Lieberkühn. The cuts, eighteen in number, are illustrative of the movements, nutrition, digestion, nuclear phenomena, and fecundation of proto-organisms. “The most interesting chapters are those on fecundation, which demonstrate the same instincts and vital powers to exist in infusoria as are found in animals of higher organization. “M. Binet's researches and conclusions show, 'that psychological phenomena begin among the very lowest classes of beings; they are met with in every form of life from the simplest cell to the most complicated organism.' The author contests the theory of the distinguished English scientist, Prof. George J. Romanes, who assigns the first appearance of the various psychical and mental faculties to different stages or periods in the scale of zoological development. To M. Binet there is an aggregate of properties which exclusively pertain to living matter, the existence of which is seen in the lowest forms of life as well as in the highest.” —The American Practitioner, Volumes 7-8

From the preface when this work was originally published in 1888: "I have endeavored, in the following essay upon Micro-organisms, to show that psychological phenomena begin among the very lowest classes of beings; they are met with in every form of life from the simplest cellule to the most complicated organism. It is they that are the essential phenomena of life, inherent in all protoplasm."French psychologist Alfred Binet (1859-1911) took a different tack than most psychologists of his day: he was interested in the workings of the normal mind rather than the pathology of mental illness. He wanted to find a way to measure the ability to think and reason, apart from education in any particular field. From Binet's work, the phrase "intelligence quotient, " or "IQ, " entered the vocabulary.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1897 Edition.