THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 33 



favourite assumption, as to its sole origin under the 

 influence of pre-existing protoplasm. Thus alone are 

 they enabled to deny what others believe to be the 

 proper interpretation of known facts, thus will they 

 reject the conclusion that there is a natural tendency 

 amongst certain kinds of molecules to fall into com- 

 binations and rearrangements which terminate in the 

 formation of ^ living ' matter. 



So much may be said concerning the origin of specks 

 of living matter in the flasks containing organic com- 

 pounds. And with reference to those in v/hich a small 

 portion of organic matter — cheese, for instance — has 

 been added to a saline solution containing the elements 

 necessary for the nutrition of the simplest living things, 

 the origin of those that have been found may perhaps 

 have been due to rearrangements which took place 

 amongst the elements of the added organic matter • or 

 else the molecular changes which it initiates may have 

 sufficed to induce life-giving combinations amongst 

 the disturbed elements of the saline substances them- 

 selves^. The living specks thus initiated would sub- 

 sequently grow and multiply at the expense of the 

 elements of the saline substances, just as organisms do 

 which are purposely added to such solutions. 



With reference, on the other hand, to those saline 

 fluids in which no organic matter had been purposely 

 added, but in which some may have existed in the form 



^ Whenever these were suitable for the initiation of such changes. 

 VOL. II. D 



