LIFE IN THE PAST l6l 



the fruit flavors. These are due to the presence of 

 ethereal oils in the plant, and their exact counter- 

 parts can now be produced in the laboratory, and can 

 serve every purpose of the fruit flavor itself. Alcohol 

 has been produced artificially, and alcohols, which na- 

 ture never dreamed of making, so far as we can tell, 

 but which are made on her plan, are manufactured by 

 the chemist. Last of all, sugar has recently been 

 built up by the chemist, though the method at present 

 is so expensive that it cannot possibly compete with 

 the production of the commodity from the cane and 

 the beet. As in the case of alcohol, all the sugars that 

 nature makes can now be made artificially, and others 

 of the same general plan which she seems not to have 

 as yet devised can be produced within the laboratory. 



Attempts have been made to manufacture proteids, 

 but these have as yet eluded the efforts of the chemist. 

 He is beginning, however, to come nearer understand- 

 ing their composition, and when he once clearly com- 

 prehends that he may be able to reproduce them. 



One of the German chemists is convinced that the 

 nuclein in the nucleus of the cell is not a very compli- 

 cated compound. Under such conditions it is not a 

 matter of surprise that the physiological chemist 

 should be constantly dreaming that he may at some 

 time produce living matter in the laboratory. To the 

 ordinary mind it scarcely seems possible. We are so 



