AL TERA TION IN VITAL PO WER. T 1 3 



reach the living matter. The arrangement is such as to 

 permit fluid only to go to the living matter, and check the 

 passage of all insoluble particles of whatever kind. While, 

 if we admitted as possible the aggregation of millions of 

 particles having different properties and powers, we should 

 still be quite unable to explain how it was that they did 

 not interfere with one another's interests ; why, for instance, 

 the most vigorous did not grow at the expense of their 

 weaker brethren, starving them by appropriating their 

 pabulum, destroying them utterly, and occupying the space 

 which they had not the strength to retain. 



Alteration in Vital Power. It is remarkable that 

 the results of the act of living in different masses of 

 germinal matter having the same origin should be very 

 different. And in the development of new centres one 

 within the other, the masses last produced seem to have 

 acquired powers which their progenitors did not possess. 

 In the formation of the ovum itself the production of 

 centre within centre proceeds for a long time before the 

 actual mass from which the new being is to be evolved 

 is produced. On the other hand, thousands of masses 

 of germinal matter are formed during the early periods of 

 development, which apparently only serve the purpose of 

 giving origin within themselves to others from which those 

 which are to take part in the formation of tissues are at 

 length developed. Thus, many successive series of masses 

 of germinal matter are formed, and are succeeded by new 

 ones before those by which the tissue or organ is to be 

 formed are produced. And these result from the develop- 

 ment of new centres or nuclei within already existing 



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