
INTRODUCTION xv 
But Burdach gave to the term Heterogenesis a 
wider signification still : he made it include the process 
of Archebiosis also, as may be seen when he'says ! :— 
‘“Nul doute, que notre planete ne soit arrivée par 
degrés a son état actuel, qu’a une époque trés 
reculée elle n/ait-été inhabitable pour les étres 
organisés, et que tous ces étres ne soient formés peu 
a peu sans parens, consequemment par la voie de 
Phétérogenie.” 
Although this passage shows that Burdach 
believed in the possibility of the origin of living 
things from what are called not-living materials, 
nevertheless Ze did not believe that in such a case 
there would be a creation of the something alto- 
gether new, which we term “Life.” This diver- 
gence arises from the nature of his theoretical views. 
The whole universe was to him ¢ke organism of 
organisms, endowed with Life. Thus, elsewhere 
he says?:—‘ Mais si lTunivers est lorganisme 
absolu, chacune de ses parties doit étre un tout 
organique .. . Il ya plus encore: la force du tout 
doit étre inhérente a chaque chose particuliere, et 
effectivement ous rencontrons des traces de vie 
dans toute existence quelcongue.” 
Very similar vitalistic or pantheistic doctrines 
were also entertained by Buffon, Needham, and 
Pouchet. Each of them believed that pre-existing 
“vital force” of some kind—pre-existing Life there- 
fore—was necessary, and that without the agency of 
1 In the second edition of his work, as translated by Jourdan, 
“ Traité de Physiologie,” 1837, c. 1. p. 8. 
Sf 0Cco, te AV. Dp, 149. 
