270 THE INVISIBLE WORLD 



each its little quota, distributing the life-giving in- 

 fluence to all points in the body. On the return of 

 the blood stream to the lungs, each of the Beds 

 brings back a particle of waste material, render- 

 ing the blood stream purple, to be expelled in 

 exhalations. 



Thus the Reds serve; to nourish, vitalize and keep 

 clean the entire body. 



On the other hand, the Whites serve to protect 

 the body. Their office is to defend the Reds 

 against foreign enemies and thus to defend the 

 body against disease. Several times larger than 

 the Reds, the Whites make good defenders. 



Compared with the disease germs, the white cor- 

 puscles are giants, 640 times larger than the mi- 

 crobes of tuberculosis, about 600 times larger than 

 the average disease germ. Hence they are finely 

 prepared to help defend the body against the in- 

 visible foes. 



This defense is natural, simply in accordance 

 with the Order of Nature by which one form of 

 life subsists at the expense of some other form. 

 The stronger insect devours the weaker; the big 

 fish eats up the little fish ; the bird of prey scoops 

 up the dove; man subsists on many lower animals, 

 and, as a cannibal, eats his fellow man. 



So the big microbe eats up the little microbe. 

 Were it not so, it would be a break in the Order of 

 Nature. 



But such is the fact. For this reason the white 

 corpuscles are called phagocytes, the word means 



