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a common material, from the same material as a tree is formed. If, 

 then, their state is peculiar in the several instances, the source of 

 this peculiarity is not in their common origin, but in related proper- 

 ties; these are the properties of life. 



10. If, then, the properties of life produce chymical combina- 

 tions conformable with their own nature, suppose a deviation from a 

 given or natural state to take place in the chymical properties, it 

 must arise either out of the nature of the first chymical disposition, 

 as formed from the spiritual properties, or from a new state of the 

 spiritual properties; in either case, the origin is alike in the state of 

 the properties of life. 



11. We cannot quote a more striking example of mechanical 

 disease than a stone in the bladder; although in this case the chief 

 phenomena of the disease ,are produced by this mechanical cause, 

 we shall not find that the origin of the processes by which the cal- 

 culus was formed, belonged to the mechanical department. The 

 stone is formed, it is said, by excess (or something else) of uric acid; 

 \vhat makes the excess of uric acid? say, merely by way of defining 

 a seat, that it arises from a faulty secretion of the kidneys: now the 

 blood in the kidneys is a common material (or if the seat is else- 

 where, we must still trace up to a common material, even though 

 we should arrive at the digestive organs); if from this common ma- 

 terial a product arises which is peculiar, we must seek for the 

 cause of the peculiarity in the related properties, and not in those 

 which are common. The related properties in this case have their 

 seat in the kidneys, and belong to that class without which urine 

 would not be secreted at all. If, in this case, instead of saying that 

 these related properties are vital, we say that they are chymical, we 

 do but defer arriving at the result of analysis: for if the chymical 

 properties are peculiar, they being first made, and afterwards main- 

 tained, and renewed, by the related ones which are spiritual, we then 

 assign to these latter a mediate, instead of a direct agency. 



12. Thus it appears that the origin of change, even of that 

 progressive kind which has been indicated, is from some property of 

 life, which must be peculiar in every case. But in the course of 

 a series of progressive changes either the cbymical or the mechanical 

 agents may operate as a cause, by which either the changes of pre- 

 disposition are multiplied, or perhaps the phenomena of disease 

 produced. 



13. The properties of the chymical or the mechanical depart- 

 ments may become re-agents: their varieties are first produced, 

 either by an affection of the spirit by a foreign external, or by an 

 original peculiarity of the spirit, under a relation with common or 

 natural externals. 



14. However complicated the re-agencies of these three depart- 

 ments might be, in order to determine the share, or how much, or 

 what phenomena, are to be attributed to the agency of life, or the 

 organic spirit; we have only to ascertain whether the phenomena in 

 question are peculiar to the living state ; for whatever the origin 



