ON THE ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER 

 WITH RELATION TO VITALITY. 



THE attributes which different bodies possess, 

 may be divided into two classes ; into those 

 that are inherent, or essential, and into those 

 that are accidental and derived; into such as 

 are resident within the body originally, and are 

 inseparable from it ; and into such as are pro- 

 duced by the action of external influence upon 

 it. When a body acts independently of external 

 influence, the action produced constitutes the 

 true test, by which a knowledge of its nature, 

 is to be obtained : on the contrary, when a body 

 acquires properties by the agency of an external 

 cause, the creation of those properties, may be 

 considered as constituting the vast tribe of 

 accidents in bodies, as they have been called by 

 some, and of secondary qualities by others, and 

 which are obvious and perceptible to our senses. 



