THEORY OF THE CELLS. 189 



framed with the matter, cannot be rejected as impossible. 

 Reason certainly requires some ground for such adaptation, but 

 for her it is sufficient to assume that matter with the powers 

 inherent in it owes its existence to a rational Being. Once esta- 

 blished and preserved in their integrity, these powers may, in 

 accordance with their immutable laws of blind necessity, verv 

 well produce combinations, which manifest, even in a high degree, 

 individual adaptation to a purpose. If, however, rational power 

 interpose after creation merely to sustain, and not as an imme- 

 diately active agent, it may, so far as natural science is concerned, 

 be entirely excluded from the consideration of the creation. 



But the teleological view leads to further difficulties in the 

 explanation, and especially with respect to generation. If we 

 assume each organism to be formed by a power which acts 

 according to a certain predominant idea, a portion of this power 

 may certainly reside in the ovum during generation j but then 

 we must ascribe to this subdivision of the original power, at 

 the separation of the ovum from the body of the mother, the 

 capability of producing an organism similar to that which the 

 power, of which it is but a portion, produced : that is, we must 

 assume that this power is infinitely divisible, and yet that each 

 part may perform the same actions as the whole power. If, 

 on the other hand, the power of organized bodies reside, like 

 the physical powers, in matter as such, and be set free only 

 by a certain combination of the molecules, as, for instance, 

 electricity is set free by the combination of a zinc and copper 

 plate, then also by the conjunction of molecules to form an 

 ovum the power may be set free, by which the ovum is capable 

 of appropriating to itself fresh molecules, and these newly- 

 conjoined molecules again by this very mode of combination 

 acquire the same power to assimilate fresh molecules. The 

 first development of the many forms of organized bodies — the 

 progressive formation of organic nature indicated by geology — 

 is also much more difficult to understand according to the 

 teleological than the physical view. 



Another objection to the teleological view may be drawn 

 from the foregoing investigation. The molecules, as we have 

 seen, are not immediately combined in various Mays, as the 

 purpose of the organism requires, but the formation of the 

 elementary parts of organic bodies is regulated by laws which 



