52 VITALISM AND SCHOLASTICISM 



cell, the formless, structureless, microscopic- 

 ally small drop of protoplasm it shows all the 

 essential functions of life : nourishment, 

 growth, reproduction, motion, sensation yes, 

 even functions which at least compensate for 

 the 'sensorium,' the conscious life of the higher 

 animals." 



The cell is indeed a very small object of 

 study. The tiny mass of protoplasm, though 

 we now know that it is by no means structure- 

 less, would seem to the casual observer to be 

 an object whose possibilities must soon be 

 exhausted. Yet the more microscopes are 

 improved, the more methods of staining and of 

 observation are perfected, the more the cell 

 is studied, the greater are the mysteries which 

 it is found to contain. Again we may quote 

 from Wilson, the highest authority on this sub- 

 ject, who expresses the opinion that " the 

 recent advance of discovery has not tended to 

 simplify our conceptions of cell-life, but has 

 rather led to an emphasised sense of the diver- 

 sity and complexity of its problems." 



Schwann, when he first enunciated the cell- 

 theory, thought that he had disposed of the 

 question of vitalism once for all and in a sense 

 contrary to that theory of life. But Schwann 

 was mistaken and the theory on which he 

 based his conclusion has since been shown to 



