258 LIFE AND DEATH. 



Besides, biologists admit that there exist with- 

 in the protoplasm aliquot parts, elements of an 

 inferior order, which possess special activities. 

 These secondary elements must have the principle 

 of their activity within themselves. Such are the 

 biophors to which Weismann attributes the vital 

 functions of the cell, nutrition, growth, and multipli- 

 cation. If there are biophors within the cell, we 

 may imagine them outside the cell, and since they 

 carry within themselves the principle of their activity 

 they may exercise it in an independent manner. 

 Unhappily the biophors, and other constituent ele- 

 ments of that kind, are purely hypothetical. They 

 are like Darwin's gemmules, Altmann's bioblasts, and 

 the pangens of De Vries. They have no relation to 

 facts of observation and to real existence. 



Vital Phenomena in Brute Bodies. There is no 

 doubt that certain phenomena of vitality may occur 

 outside of the cellular atmosphere. And carrying 

 this further, we may admit that they may be pro- 

 duced in certain slightly organized bodies (crushed 

 cells), and then in certain unorganized bodies in 

 certain brute beings. In every case it is certain that 

 effects are produced at any rate similar to those which 

 are characteristic of living matter. It is for observation 

 and experiment to decide as to the degree of similarity, 

 and their verdict is that the similarity is complete. 

 The crystals and the crystalline germs studied by 

 Ostwald and Tammann are the seat of phenomena 

 which are quite comparable to those of vitality. 



