20 



GERMINATION 



which originate in the brain pass by the motor and secre- 

 tory nerves from the brain 

 downwards. Without an 

 arborisation, or a condenser, 

 in circuit all the impulses 

 conveyed by the axon or 

 line wire a (Figure 11) would 

 be efferent and if passing 

 out by the branch circuits, 

 h, b, b, b, b, b, b, would also 

 be efferent. If, however, it 

 was desired to change the 

 sign from positive to nega- 

 tive — ^from efferent to affer- 

 ent — ^in any circuit it would 

 only be necessary to insert a 

 condenser in that circuit at 

 some point outside the cell. 



That is exactly what Nature does. The only difference 

 is that it is called an arborisation, and is shown thus : 



/y0 //_ Mu/^/po/ar ce// 



The process is one of induction, pure and simple. 



One of the strongest links in the chain of evidence is 

 probably the heart. 



The heart is nothing but a pump and a pump must be 

 actuated by power of some description. Moreover, it must 

 be supplied with that power, without intermittency or 

 difference of pressure, during every second of our lives. What 

 is that power ? Chemical reaction ? It is difficult to see 

 how any series of chemical reactions can be productive of 

 a regular and unfaihng supply of power such as the heart 

 requires. If such a thing were possible — and I do not for 

 one moment believe it to be possible — the harmless seidlitz 

 powder might well be fraught with danger to life. 



A more reasonable hypothesis is to regard the lungs as 

 the generating station, as I have said, and the blood-stream 



