82 LIFE. 



temporary structures are first produced which are useless in 

 themselves and only serve as a provisional basis for the 

 development of the masses of germinal matter from which 

 permanent structure is to be evolved. 



Actions in Living Beings. A very little observation will 

 convince us that in the body there are very different kinds 

 of actions proceeding simultaneously. The formation and 

 growth of muscular tissue would seem to be processes 

 essentially distinct from its contraction, and yet both sets 

 of phenomena have been attributed to the influence of the 

 same forces. But building up and breaking down solution 

 and precipitation development of structure and its removal 

 addition of matter to, and removal of matter from, a 

 tissue have been attributed to the operation of the ordinary 

 forces. But not one of these phenomena as they occur in 

 living beings can be explained by any known laws of 

 physics, or imitated artificially. 



" There are no truly vital actions," " there is no life,"- 

 say some, and thus evade further discussion of this mo- 

 mentous question. But it has been shown that there is a 

 marked distinction between the living matter and the formed 

 matter (see p. 34), and that the phenomena going on in 

 these two kinds of matter respectively are essentially dif- 

 ferent, and can be considered apart from one another. By 

 ignoring altogether this and other important facts of obser- 

 vation, which have been demonstrated of late years, and by 

 calling those who differ from them " vitalists ;" by saying 

 that facts opposed to their view are unimportant, and stigma- 

 tizing every argument against their doctrines as frivolous, 

 making bold assertions, and under cover of jokes about 



