﻿148) 
  THE 
  UNIQUENESS 
  OF 
  LIFE 
  

  

  are 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  living 
  

   creatures. 
  The 
  biologist 
  may 
  be 
  allowed 
  a 
  laboratory 
  to 
  

   himself 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  convenience 
  and 
  courtesy, 
  just 
  as 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  laboratory 
  for 
  Electrodynamics 
  quite 
  apart 
  from 
  

   another 
  for 
  Hydrodynamics. 
  But 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  biology 
  being 
  

   an 
  autonomous 
  science 
  must 
  be 
  nipped 
  in 
  the 
  bud. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  notice 
  that 
  many 
  physicists, 
  who 
  are 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  capabilities 
  of 
  mechanical 
  formulation, 
  

   have 
  been 
  very 
  cautious 
  in 
  their 
  statements 
  regarding 
  the 
  

   extension 
  of 
  this 
  to 
  vital 
  phenomena. 
  Gauss, 
  Cauchy, 
  and 
  

   Kelvin 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  as 
  investigators 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  rank 
  

   in 
  mathematics 
  and 
  physics 
  who 
  regarded 
  life 
  as 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  an 
  entirely 
  different 
  field. 
  Hertz 
  again 
  was 
  very 
  careful: 
  

   " 
  We 
  can 
  neither 
  maintain 
  that 
  the 
  internal 
  phenomena 
  of 
  

   animated 
  beings 
  obey 
  the 
  same 
  laws 
  (as 
  in 
  inanimate 
  na- 
  

   ture) 
  nor 
  that 
  they 
  follow 
  other 
  laws. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  Our 
  principle, 
  

   sufficient 
  perhaps 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  motion 
  of 
  lifeless 
  matter, 
  

   appears 
  at 
  least 
  prima 
  facie 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  simple 
  and 
  limited 
  to 
  

   describe 
  the 
  manifoldness 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  lowest 
  vital 
  phe- 
  

  

  nomena.' 
  

  

  Lord 
  Kelvin's 
  view 
  was 
  more 
  dogmatic, 
  and 
  assertive 
  

   rather 
  than 
  reasoned. 
  Yet 
  it 
  is 
  important, 
  for 
  surely 
  he, 
  of 
  

   all 
  men, 
  must 
  have 
  known 
  how 
  far 
  his 
  physics 
  would 
  carry 
  

   him. 
  " 
  The 
  only 
  contribution 
  of 
  dynamics 
  to 
  theoretical 
  

   biology 
  is 
  absolute 
  negation 
  of 
  automatic 
  commencement 
  

   or 
  automatic 
  maintenance 
  of 
  life. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  The 
  opening 
  of 
  

   a 
  bud, 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  a 
  leaf, 
  the 
  astonishing 
  development 
  

   of 
  beauty 
  in 
  a 
  flower, 
  involve 
  physical 
  operations 
  which 
  

   completed 
  chemical 
  science 
  would 
  leave 
  as 
  far 
  beyond 
  our 
  

   comprehension 
  as 
  the 
  differences 
  between 
  lead 
  and 
  iron, 
  

   between 
  water 
  and 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  between 
  gravitation 
  and 
  

   magnetism, 
  are 
  at 
  present. 
  A 
  tree 
  contains 
  more 
  mystery 
  

  

  