PAN. 621 



the organ a prophet ? and are his mechanism and life secrets 

 of God ? The great functions and metamorphoses of nature 

 stand surrounded by halos of sacred mystery, aureolas of 

 divine awe. 



''Child, youth, and man, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butter- 

 fly, are not to be conceived from external appearance, but 

 only in consequence of their immaterial essence, as one and 

 the same being." Natural history supernatural history 

 the atom, the soul, stand mysteries incomprehensible, mira- 

 cles divine. Of the natural history of the soul, what do we 

 know ? Nothing. Of the supernatural history of the atom, 

 what do we know ? Nothing. Through dark vortices 

 silently glides the atom, brave servitor of the Eternal 

 while aloft, on wings of celestial beauty, soars the soul, high 

 minister of his imperial will, bright child of his holy love. 



But there is a tragic attitude of the atom and the soul. 

 What is disease ? What is infirmity ? What are care and 

 sorrow ? Especially, what is pain ? What is physical an- 

 guish ? What is death ? 



The philosophers plainly show that the "first organic 

 points are vesicles ;" that the organic world has for its basis 

 "an infinity of vesicles;" and that the "organic fundamental 

 substance consists of infusoria;" so must the "whole organic 

 world originate from infusoria." "Plants and animals can 

 only be metamorphoses of infusoria." In the presence of 

 this dread monad, this "organic fundamental," this salient 

 point of vitality, this vesicle, this protean "cell," this proto- 

 plastic (germ) substance, which is the origin and basis of all 

 organic forms, the philosopher of life, of organization, of 

 health and disease, stands. Leaving to the mere abstraction- 

 ist the problems of vitality, the physician asks : What is. 

 health ? What is disease ? What are the sciences of phy- 

 siology and pathology? Is it normal cell formation, or 

 abnormal protoplastic substance; the elements perverted, 

 or specifically distinct? Here is this fearful tubercle, this 

 hideous cancer here is a loathsome monstrosity of form, a 

 malignant degeneration of tissue, and what is this turgid, burn- 



