60 OMNE VII UM EX OVO. 



indeed they would go far towards modifying the 

 opinions expressed by myself ano\ many others upon 

 the subject of heterogenesis. His statements about 

 the genesis of crystals, and other arguments, founded 

 upon old evidence, however ingenious, seem to me 

 worthless, and only weaken the cause the heteroge- 

 nists have at heart, because the analogies supposed 

 to exist are fanciful, and do not really obtain. 



But while the evidence in favour of the origin of 

 organisms de novo remains inconclusive, uncertain, 

 and open to objection, there is no doubt whatever 

 concerning the origin of living beings from pre-existing 

 living beings. Many microscopists have actually seen 

 the living' particles detach themselves from a pre- 

 existing living mass, and there is abundant evi- 

 dence to prove that this process takes place among 

 creatures occupying various positions in the scale of 

 living beings, as well as in the different forms of 

 bioplasm from the highest organisms. In some of the 

 the lower creatures the process may be watched from 

 hour to hour, as it gradually progresses towards solu- 

 tion of continuity, and the formation of two beings 

 out of one is completed. I have myself frequently 

 witnessed the sub-division of living particles from the 

 organisms of the highest as well as from those of the 

 lower forms of life, so minute and of such tenuity, 

 that they could only be seen with difficulty when mag- 

 nified 5,000 diameters ; and there is much reason to 

 think that even if the magnifying power could be 

 increased to 50,000 diameters, there would still be 



