54 From Matter to Man. 



tungsten, vanadium, antimony, mercury, silver, gold, 

 platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, 

 iridium, beryllium, germanium, samarium, scandium. 



But, curiously enough, this classification is alleged 

 to be of no importance, a mere perfunctory arrange- 

 ment, a concession to method and order yielded to 

 merely " for the sake of simplicity."* Other classifica- 

 tions were consequently sought for. 



Thus Berzelius originated a dualistic theory which 

 classed compounds in paired constituents or groups of 

 constituents ; but, as a classification of compounds could 

 not be a fundamental distinction in matter, his theory 

 collapsed. 



The need of a dual classification of substance con- 

 tinuing to be felt, chemists substituted and still 

 endorse one equally incompetent; for they profess to 

 find deep import in those superficial distinctions 

 which are inevitable between constituents and a com- 

 bination — between letters and language, for instance, 

 or sugar and confectionery, viz., " Chemists have found 

 that all substances they meet with may be divided 

 into two great classes : — 



" ( i ) Simple Bodies or Elements. — Substances out of 

 which nothing different can be got. 



" (2) Compound Bodies. — Substances out of which 

 two or more different things can be got. f " 

 This classification assuredly exists, is unquestionably 

 correct, and may possibly be of service; but it is a 



* Science Primer, Chemistry, Prof. Roscoe, p. 60. 

 f Chemistry Primer, p. 58 ; Prof. Roscoe. 



