In his work, Quinton wrote of the marine origins of the first animal cells and of the marine environment as being the vital matrix for the cells of various organisms in the zoological sequence.

Building on the tenets of evolution, it would stand to reason that animals and humans have simply internalized this vital matrix of physiological fluids. Evolution has resulted in modifications, but analysis of a physiological fluid such as serum reveals the presence of the same elements that are found in seawater. Therefore, minerals and trace elements act at all levels of physiology.