ON THE VITALISTIC VIEW OF NATURE. 457 



that body, ... so included, any derivative germ-cell or 

 the nucleus of such may commence and repeat the same 

 processes of growth by imbibition, and of propagation by 

 spontaneous fission as those to which itself owed its 

 origin." l We have here the first enunciation of that 53. 



Germ-sub- 



idea of a differentiation between the germ-substance and ? ta , ncea ? d 



body-sub- 



the body - substance, between that portion of living stauce - 

 matter which is destined to preserve the continuity of 

 life, and that other portion which, destined to differen- 

 tiate more and more into the aggregate of living cells, 

 each bearing a special form and carrying out a special 

 function in the economy of the higher organisms, is at 

 the same time doomed to death, gradually losing, as it 

 does, its power of assimilation, growth, and division i.e., 

 of self-preservation. Prof. Haeckel in 1866, and Dr 

 Jager in 1877, elaborated the idea further, pointing out 

 that the " germinal " element or substance was that 

 portion which in the process of division is reserved 

 for the preservation of the species (the 0vAoi>, hence 

 termed the phylogenetic portion), whereas the " personal " 

 element or substance goes to form the body or individual 

 (the 6v, hence termed the ontogenetic portion). 2 



1 Darwin quotes this passage in 

 a historical note to his theory of 

 " Pangenesis " in the concluding 

 chapter of his ' Animals and Plants 

 under Domestication ' (vol. ii. p. 

 375). He adds further, " By the 

 agency of these germ -cells Prof. 

 Owen accounts for parthenogenesis, 

 for propagation by self - division 

 during successive generations, and 

 for the repairs of injuries. His 

 view agrees with mine in the 

 assumed transmission and multi- 

 plication of his germ - cells, but 

 differs fundamentally from mine in 



the belief that the primary germ- 

 cell was formed within the ovarium 

 of the female, and was fertilised by 

 the male. My gemmules are sup- 

 posed to be formed, quite independ- 

 ently of sexual concourse, by each 

 separate cell or unit throughout the 

 body, and to be merely aggregated 

 within the reproductive organs." 



2 Complete references to the 

 earlier statements of this theory, 

 which, through the various writings 

 of Prof. Weismann (since 1881, 

 when he read a paper, " On the 

 Duration of Life," before the 



