THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 51 



we now can name a goodly array of compounds, pre- 

 viously known only as constituents of animal or vege- 

 table organisms, and previously supposed to be incapable 

 of coming into existence save under the influence of 

 vital forces and vital structures, which are, neverthe- 

 less, continually being built up in the chemical labo- 

 ratory, out of more elementary substances, by processes 

 of synthesis l . 



While thus much has been done to throw light upon 

 some of the phenomena exhibited by living beings, and 

 to diminish the mystery hitherto supposed to enshroud 

 the origin of organic compounds, other efforts, by no 

 means unsuccessful, have been made to account for 

 the production of organic forms, and to reveal how 

 such shapes as are met with amongst the structural 

 units of an organ, as well as those of entire organisms, 

 are the resultants of physical forces acting upon plastic 

 and modifiable tissues. Mr. Rainey 2 has sought to show 



1 Speaking on this subject, Gavarret says (' Phe'nomenes Physiques de 

 la Vie,' 1869, p. 269), ' De nombreuses et importantes syntheses ont ete 

 realises. Les Carbures d'hydrogene peuvent etre considered comme 

 formant la transition entre 1'etat mineral et 1'etat organique ; beaucoup 

 de ces composes binaires ont ete reproduits directement : 1'acetylene, 

 1'ethylene et ses homologues, la benzine et ses homologues, la naph- 

 taline, 1'anthracine, etc. Les chimistes ont aussi opere la synthese 

 d'une quantite considerables de composes oxygenes ternaires : des 

 alcools, des aldehydes, des acides, des ethers, des corps gras, le phenol 

 et plusieurs de ses homologues, etc. Quelques substances azotees ont 

 ete aussi reproduces par synthese : le cyanogene et ses derives, 1'uree, 

 la taurine, le glycocolle et ses homologues/ etc. 



2 ' On the Mode of Formation of Shells, of Animals, of Bone,' &c. 

 1858. 



E 2 



