ARTIFICIAL LIVING MATTER. 



demonstrated the correctness of the view that the organic 

 world and the inorganic world are one, influenced by the 

 same forces, and obedient to the same laws. But alas, those 

 who argue in this way are either mistaken as regards the 

 question at issue, or are determined not to state it correctly. 

 The most earnest vital ist will no more deny that albumen 

 may some day be made artificially, than that phosphate of 

 soda may be produced in the laboratory. All he maintains 

 is that the formation of albumen, &c., in the organism is not 

 due to the same circumstances, or effected in the same way 

 as would obtain, if it were possible to form it in the labora- 

 tory, and that if albumen were made artificially to-morrow 

 not one single step would have been completed towards the 

 artificial production of living matter. It seems almost 

 puerile on the part of opponents to what they term a vital 

 principle to go on reiterating such statements and repeating 

 such utterly worthless arguments. They will convince the 

 world as soon as they produce the living material out of 

 inorganic matter, but it is futile on their part to try to make 

 people believe their hypothesis by prophecies of what will 

 be done, or what may come to pass. 



If the artificial living matter could only be formed, it 

 would soon increase by taking to itself some different kind 

 of matter and converting this into matter like itself. At a 

 temperature not higher than- 100 degrees, this transparent 

 artificial living matter, when it shall have been prepared, will 

 no doubt, under the influence of water, oxygen, and other 

 gases, become resolved into albumen, fatty matter, salts, 

 and other substances just like those made by living bodies 

 with which we are familiar. But it will be time for the 

 chemist to begin to glory in his powers, and to compare 



