WHAT IS PHYSICAL LIFE 



the body cells, especially in chronic heart 

 and kidney affections, at last open the way 

 for a host of micro-organisms to enter un- 

 opposed, and the post-mortem table then 

 reveals how the actual cause of death came 

 from a vast invasion of what are called the 

 terminal infections. The survival of the 

 fittest among metazoa therefore belongs 

 to those who have the most vitality. 



Solely to illustrate how the importance 

 of these principles cannot be over-esti- 

 mated in their practical applications, I will 

 relate a recent personal experience. On 

 January 26, 1909, I was called in con- 

 sultation to see a little girl five years of 

 age, who six days before began with a 

 severe attack of scarlet fever. On the 

 third day of this disease malignant diph- 

 theria also supervened, and a thick mem- 

 brane with a gangrenous odor covered 

 all the visible surfaces of the throat, while 

 the glands of the neck were greatly 

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