4 8 MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. 



its mechanical equivalent. Man himself is about to be 

 proved to be a sort of clock made up of works which go at a 

 certain rate, and cause hands to revolve and tell the hours 

 and minutes to other clocks which indicate when they have 

 received the intelligence by striking, and express agreement 

 or sympathy, by the sounds they emit, and by variation in 

 tone and accentuation. The action of nerves and muscles 

 shall depend upon the molecular mechanism concealed in 

 their interstices, which has not yet been demonstrated, but 

 which will all be revealed in due time ! 



Certain observers who pride themselves upon never going 

 beyond facts, and have great experience concerning the 

 kind of truth spoken of as " scientific," feel very confident 

 about all this. And although at present the term molecular 

 mechanism has no very definite meaning assigned to it, and 

 is used in cases in which neither molecules nor mechanism 

 can be discovered, it by no means follows that new disco- 

 veries will not some day be made. At this time mechanisms 

 are not molecular, nor are molecules mechanisms, but still 

 this may not always obtain. If it were not that microscopical 

 investigation has been suspected by some of those who have 

 great faith in physics, one might venture to suggest that 

 the question of molecular mechanism might be put to the 

 test of observation ; but it will be said " higher powers may 

 be discovered, and then this machinery in the ultimate mole- 

 cule which has been declared and is known to exist by the 

 physical philosophers, will be actually exhibited to sceptics." 

 At any rate, the assertion on the part of authorities who speak 

 with the utmost confidence, must now be allowed to out- 

 weigh all that can be said or shown by mere observers, or 

 by mere demonstration. It has been decreed by authority 



