26 



THE SCIENCE OF LIFE. 



CHAPTER II. 



LIVING MATTER. 



You may bury me as you choose, if you can only catch me. But you will 

 not understand me when I tell you that I, Socrates, who am now speak- 

 ing, shall not remain with you after having drunk the poison, but shall de- 

 part to some of the enjoyments of the blest. You must not talk about 

 burying or burning Socrates, as if I were suffering some terrible operation. 

 Such language is inauspicious and depressing to our minds. Keep up your 

 courage, and talk only of burying the body of Socrates ; conduct the burial 

 as you think best and most decent. PLATO'S Phado. 



1. THE only unexceptionable characteristic of living 

 bodies is the possession of living tissue, or bioplasm. This 

 may be present alone, as in the simple animal and veg- 

 etable forms, or it may exist in association with structure 

 which has been formed by it, and hence called formed 

 material. The bioplasm is nourished by pabulum which 

 is generally furnished in fluid form. 



2. The old division of bodies into organized and un- 



organizedthe for- 

 mer having organs, 

 or distinct parts, 

 with definite struct- 

 ure, and of special 

 use is no longer 

 applicable, since 

 there are some liv- 



FIG. ..-AmcAaprincepsX.so. In various shapes. 



have no organs. The A mceba princcps, Fig. 2, one of the 

 most elementary animal forms, is composed of a jelly- 



