WITH THE MICROSCOPE. 329 



and purposes as dead as it would be if the individual itself were 

 deprived of life. [The formed material of the living cell is dead. 

 The only part of the living cell and the living organism which is 

 alive, is the germinal matter. Nothing can be regarded as alive or 

 living but germinal matter in which vital changes alone take place. 

 The phenomena of imbibition, osmose, c., in cells, even the contrac- 

 tion of muscles and the action of nerves, are probably in themselves 

 physical actions, although they were immediately preceded by, and 

 are probably the direct consequence of actions purely vital. But for 

 the vital phenomena those physical actions could never have occurred 

 in the precise way in which they did occur, nor effect the purpose 

 they did effect. Were it not for the vital actions, osmose, muscular 

 contraction, nerve action, &c., would of course soon cease, and could 

 not be resumed unless the conditions were all re-arranged as they 

 were before. The formed material in which all these changes occur,, 

 could not have been formed without the previous manifestation of 

 vital phenomena. We may go backwards as far as we can, but 

 we shall always find vital actions concerned in bringing about the 

 condition of things necessary for the particular physical and 

 chemical changes which occur subsequently. 



It will be asked if in nutrition the lifeless pabulum suddenly 

 becomes living germinal matter, and if the latter suddenly dies, and 

 assumes the condition of formed material. It is generally taught 

 that the elements of the former are gradually built up to form the 

 tissue, and that the living body gradually passes into the condition of 

 death. 



I daresay I shall find little favour in these days of implicit belief 

 in continuous and uninterrupted changes and gradual transitions, 

 but all I can leani compels me to hold that the change from non- 

 living to living and from living to dead is sudden, that there is no 

 transition state whatever, that matter is either living or non-living,, 

 and that no intermediate state is possible. The germinal matter 

 itself is probably not in any one part capable of being measured, 

 entirely living. There is matter which has lived, matter, living, and 

 matter which is about to live, but I imagine that the very instant the 

 lifeless atoms come within the influence of the vital power of a living 

 particle, they cease to be lifeless and live ; and, on the other hand, 

 the instant external conditions interfere with the continuance of the 

 changes occurring in the living particle, it dies, its atoms rush 

 together in a certain way to form a definite compound which thus 

 suddenly comes into existence, and may remain as it was formed, or 

 continue to undergo further chemical, change, or become resolved 

 into a number of new compounds. 



