92 BIOPLASM. 



composition of the living matter do not enable us to 

 premise anything whatever as to its formative pro- 

 perties. 



In the formation of man and the higher vertebrata 

 the primary mass of bioplasm or living matter absorbs 

 nutriment, and grows, and then divides and subdivides 

 into numerous masses, which are arranged in a defi- 

 nite manner, but what determines this is not known. 

 From each of these in pre-ordained order, and with 

 perfect regularity, more are produced, no doubt, ac- 

 cording to " laws," but laws about which we know 

 nothing, except that if physical, they are very different 

 from any physical laws yet discovered. As this pro- 

 cess of division goes on, the resulting masses produce 

 various substances, some having wonderful structure 

 and properties. But the power of each series to pro- 

 duce these peculiar materials, which did not exist 

 before, and which cannot be extracted from the food 

 supplied, differs from that of the series which pre- 

 ceded it, and so on until the complex structural basis 

 of the organism is as it were laid down. 



There are developed masses of bioplasm to form 

 nerve, others to produce muscle, others glands, and so 

 on, all of which have been derived from one common 

 mass, but the bioplasm, destined to take part in the 

 development of a gland will, under no circumstances, 

 produce muscle or nerve. 



And yet with all this marvellous difference in 

 power, which if not acquired is at any rate manifested 



