"THERE IS NO LIFE." 69 



Actions in Living Beings. 



A very little observation will convince us that in the 

 body there are very different kinds of actions proceeding 

 simultaneously. The formation and growth of muscular 

 tissue would seem to be processes essentially distinct from 

 its contraction, and yet both sets of phenomena have been 

 attributed to the influence of the same forces. But building 

 up and breaking down solution and precipitation 

 development of structure and its removal addition of matter 

 to, and removal of matter from, a tissue have been attri- 

 buted to the operation of the ordinary forces. But not one 

 of these phenomena as they occur in living beings can be ex- 

 plained by any known laws of physics, or imitated artificially. 



" There are no truly vital actions," " there is no life,"- 

 say some, and thus evade further discussion of this mo- 

 mentous question. But it has been shown that there is a 

 marked distinction between the living matter and the formed 

 matter (see p. 32), and that the phenomena going on in 

 these two kinds of matter respectively are essentially dif- 

 ferent, and can be considered apart from one another. By 

 ignoring altogether this and other important facts of obser- 

 vation, which have been demonstrated of late years, and by 

 calling those who differ from them " vitalists ;" by saying 

 that facts opposed to their view are unimportant, and stigma- 

 tizing every argument against their doctrines as frivolous, 

 and under cover of jokes about the fiction of vitality, 

 making bold assertions, popular teachers may partially suc- 

 ceed in forcing upon the people the acceptance of dogmas 

 which are utterly untenable. The interest is excited by the 



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