154 The Story of the Bacteria 



effective through ages of experience in keeping 

 its interior fresh and wholesome and clear 

 of its own refuse and the intruding flotsam 

 and jetsam of a dusty world. 



But through all these marvellous adaptive 

 processes by which the body maintains its 

 balance among the pitfalls of a sorely jostled 

 life, is felt the steady pull of heredity back 

 to the line of health. This we fondly drama- 

 tize as the beneficent touch of good old 

 Mother Nature. But it really is the ultimate 

 impress upon the cell republic and its citizens, 

 every one, of the unrecorded adaptations to 

 the conditions of each hour, whether for 

 good or ill, since the first living cell appeared, 

 surprised and lonesome, upon a hitherto 

 inanimate earth. 



