THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE PERSISTENCE OF FORCE CORRELATION OF THE VITAL 



AND PHYSICAL FORCES. 



Indestructibility of Matter. Forces modes of motion. The doctrine of 

 Conservation of Energy. History of. The unit of Heat. Con- 

 vertibility of Physical Forces. Indestructibility of Force. Gradual 

 growth of doctrine of Correlation of Physical and Vital Forces. 

 Source of Energy manifested in Plants and Animals. Doctrines 

 concerning Animal Heat. Its real mode of Origin. Power of 

 movement in Animals. Laws regulating muscular Contractility. 

 The Muscle a machine in which heat transforms itself into Me- 

 chanical Energy. Comparison between Muscle and Steam-Engine, 

 Nervous phenomena. Neurility. Sensory and motor nerves have 

 similar functions. Dependence of Nerve action upon due supply 

 of blood. Remarkable experiments illustrating this. Evolution of 

 heat and increased chemical change accompaniments of Nerve 

 action. Different functions of Nervous System. Relations of Con- 

 sciousness and Mind. Correlations of Consciousness not ascertain- 

 able. Conclusions. 



THE doctrine that Matter is indestructible may 

 now be regarded as one of the most universally 

 accepted utterances of science. It is already firmly 

 rooted, and the belief in its truth is gradually spreading 

 deeper and wider as education advances. All must 

 admit that there is an immeasurable difference between 



B 2 



