INTRODUCTION. 43 



itself grow, attain maturity, decay and die, after the 

 manner of the heing it represents. 



Inorganic bodies, or those destitute of life, on the con- 

 trary, are not horn, hut simply owe their origin to what 

 are termed the "general forces of matter." They do not 

 grow, hut owe their increase to accident, which occurs 

 whenever particles, for which there is an affinity, come 

 within the sphere of their attraction. 



Neither do they attain maturity, decay, or die, as they 

 are destitute both of a living birth and growth. 



The second fundamental element of organization is a 

 special and definite form. 



This we see every where throughout the vegetable and 

 animal kingdoms. Every plant and flower every tree 

 and fruit every animal every genus and species, each 

 after its own kind, has this special and determinate form, 

 by which it is readily distinguished from every other 

 form. 



Inorganic bodies, on the other hand, have no fixed and 

 determinate form. 



The third element is a definite size. 



This is equally true, as of the form, in all the individual 

 genera and species, both vegetable and animal. 



We see them all to have a special and determinate size, 

 and though there may be occasional dwarfs, these are but 

 exceptions, which, instead of overthrowing, rather confirm 

 the general law. 



Inorganic bodies, it is well known, have no fixed size, 

 but may be large or small, and constantly changing, just 

 as accident makes them. 



The fourth element essential to organization is a definite 

 and peculiar structure, or a regular and determinate ar- 

 rangement of fibres, forming cells or areolae, and consti- 

 tuting the cellular, areolar or spongy tissue. 



This peculiar structure, which does not belong to the 

 inorganic body, constitutes the principal basis of all or- 

 ganization; it is viewed as the primitive, original and 



