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organization in the different stages of foetal growth, as jelly with 

 cartilage, cartilage with bone, membrane with bone, &c. These 

 conversions have been already considered, and they have been 

 attributed to a progressive causation in the spirit, by which the pro- 

 perties which compose it are variously wrought into action at diffe- 

 rent times. 



11. But the accumulation of similar substances, or increase, 

 is our present topic. Now as this process is preceded by an increase 

 both of the particles in the material, and of the aggregating pro- 

 perties of the spirit, it is necessary that we should inquire how these 

 take place. 



12. In order to produce an excess of organic particles, it is 

 required that the blood should contain more than are necessary to 

 supply the waste of organic particles, which is supposed to be unre- 

 mitting, the terms of which will be spoken of hereafter; and on the 

 part of the spirit, it requires that the blood should contain more of 

 its elements than are sufficient to maintain its present sum: the 

 terms of this also will be spoken of under the functions of the pre- 

 paratory organs. But something more is required on the part of the 

 spirit. By what law of assimilation is the sum of the spirit regulated? 



13. This question suggests the following deduction, viz. that 

 the tendency of the spirit, at least during the periods of growth, is 

 to unite a greater sum of its elements in the material than its own 

 original sum. 



14. The manner in which this is done is as follows: a fluid, 

 containing the elements, passes in the way of circulation the several 

 minute spheres of the spirit; as much of the elements as is submitted 

 to the operation of life, by its agency becomes life. Thus, if the 

 quantum of the organic spirit in the material is greater than that 

 which is necessary to support the quantum of that which actually 

 lives, then the latter will be increased. 



15. But this point is one the difficulties of which can be ex- 

 plained only by recurring to our preliminary doctrines on causation. 

 First, to state the difficulty: the argument supposes the living 

 spirit to be a lesser sum of its identity than that with which it is 

 related in the elementary state; in what waj is the lesser capable of 

 affecting (as in this instance it must do) the whole of the greater 

 quantity? * 



16. This is a question which has been already ansj^red gene- 

 rally, when considering the laws of proportion. To apply these 

 laws to this particular instance: the relation of the living spirit is 

 with its own sum of the elements, and the process arising out of the 

 relation is of that kind which has been before designated " simple 

 increase by affinity." The living spirit is related with its own sura 

 of that in the elementary state; the operation of the former on the 

 latter is to separate it from its elementary combinations: thus the 

 same identity being augmented, is capable of extending the influence 

 which is peculiar to it; and in this way the elements submitted to 

 its agency cease to be the elementary and become the living spirit. 



