258 ON THE ORIGIN 



man "will live in the higher animals, and that produced 

 in the latter propagates itself in the human body. As 

 bioplasm becomes more degraded, it acquires an in- 

 creased capacity of retaining its life under a greater 

 variety of conditions. Pus which is derived from 

 normal germinal matter by direct descent is not so 

 easily destroyed as the germinal matter from which it 

 proceeded ; and special kinds of pus, which are 

 separated from the bioplasm of health by a vast 

 number of intervening generations, possess, if not a 

 still more remarkable tenacity of life, at least the 

 power of living under a greater variety of conditions. 

 It is therefore possible that means may be discovered 

 of destroying the life of these different forms of adven- 

 titious bioplasm. Being naked, that is, unprotected 

 by any cell wall or formed material, these bioplasts 

 are exposed to the direct influence of any vapours or 

 fluids which may be brought to bear upon them, 

 while, on the other hand, the bioplasm of the tissues 

 would resist the action of these same agents, in con- 

 sequence of the efficient protection afforded by the 

 formed material around it. The naked germinal 

 matter of the healthy blood is probably acted upon 

 by many poisonous substances which do not affect the 

 living matter of the tissues of the body, and there is 

 reason to think that certain poisonous agents, the 

 action of which is exceedingly rapid, destroy life by 

 instantaneously killing the germinal matter of the 

 blood, and thus leading to stoppage of the circulation. 



