124 THE BIOCOSMOS CELLULAR. 



is, at the date of this writing (1911) more 

 than ten years old, which period has been 

 prolific in biological discovery, but even more 

 prolific in biological hypothesis all of it, 

 however, going pretty much the same way.) 

 Still in this field of the small and smallest 

 we round up with the concept that life springs 

 only from life. The division seems always 

 to return to its starting point, as if to start 

 over again. So we are inclined to go back 

 to Darwin's hypothesis of the gemmule, 

 which he sets forth in his doctrine of pan gen- 

 esis, holding that the germ-cells contain still 

 more minute cells (his gemmules) separated 

 from every part of the body and thus share 

 in or register the changes taking place in the 

 organism. Thus he seeks to account for both 

 acquired and congenital variations and their 

 transmissions to offspring round which 

 themes recent biology surges so tempestu- 

 ously. Darwin hardly introduces the micro- 

 scope, the grand modern weapon, but theor- 

 izes purely in this case. (See Variation of 

 Animals and Plants, c. 27). His view was 

 not generally accepted at the time of its pro- 

 mulgation, even by his followers a fact 

 which we find him very gently complaining 

 about in his correspondence. Still it has been 

 exceedingly fruitful of posterity, though 

 purely an idea ; indeed, it may well be deemed 



