96 THE STORY OF LIFE'S MECHANISM. 



however, a great number of properties and 

 possibilities of combination far beyond those of 

 water. Now if the properties increase in com- 

 plexity with the complexity of the compound, it 

 is again an easy assumption that when we reach 

 a compound as complex as protoplasm, it will 

 have properties as complex as those of the 

 simple life substance. Nor was this such a 

 very wild hypothesis. After all, the funda- 

 mental life activities may all be traced to the 

 simple oxidation of food, for this results in 

 movement, assimilation, and growth, and the 

 result of growth is reproduction. It was there- 

 fore only necessary for our biological chemists 

 to suppose that their chemical compound proto- 

 plasm possessed the power of causing certain 

 kinds of oxidation to take place, just as water 

 itself induces a simpler kind of oxidation, and 

 they would have a mechanical explanation of 

 the life activities. It was certainly not a very 

 absurd assumption to make, that this substance 

 protoplasm could have this power, and from this 

 the other vital activities are easily derived. 



In other words, the formulation of the doctrine 

 of protoplasm made it possible to assume that 

 life is not a distinct force, but simply a name 

 given to the properties possessed by that highly 

 complex chemical compound protoplasm. Just 

 as we might give the name aquacity to the pro- 

 perties possessed by water, so we have actually 

 given the name vitality to the properties possessed 

 by protoplasm. To be sure, vitality is more 

 marvellous than aquacity, but so is protoplasm 

 a more complex compound than water. This 



