CHANGES IN SCIENTIFIC OPINION 3 



gradually brought to light. Following upon these 

 discoveries has arisen a new theory of matter 

 wholly different from that which has for so many 

 years held the field. This theory teaches that the 

 atoms of which all chemical elements are made up 

 consist of electrons or corpuscles and that these 

 corpuscles are moving units of negative electricity 

 with the ether associated therewith, ensphered by 

 an envelope of positive electricity. Moreover it 

 teaches that the differences between the atoms of 

 any two substances is a difference of arrangement 

 of the electrons or of the ether with which they 

 are associated. Now a single glance will show that 

 this is really in essence the theory of the alchemists, 

 for the negative electricity plus ether is virtually 

 the old materia prima, and if all things in their 

 ultimate analysis are constructed from it, it is clear 

 that there is no inherent impossibility in the pro- 

 position which asserts that means may yet be 

 found whereby the fundamental arrangements of 

 one molecule say of lead may be so altered that 

 it becomes transmuted into another totally different 

 molecule say that of gold. Indeed it would ap- 

 pear, from the fact that radium is believed to be 

 constantly transmuting itself into helium, that such 

 changes are actually taking place, though in obedi- 

 ence to laws of which we are in total ignorance. 

 It is of course true that the views thus briefly 



