----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- I think Waterman's point about a biological model is good. Quesnay was a doctor, and "circulation" is a powerful metaphor, which others had used before him and still others would later adopt to powerful effect. But "balance" and "equilibrium" are only implicit in this development. I think Mirowski's right: the conscious equilibrating hope through the 19th century was from physics; the main characters themselves said so, and on examination they prove as much. Biology as a grand, declared paradigm comes later. (Of course what the paradigm should be, is another question.) John Womack ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]