CYTOLOGY. 



139 



reach such a goal without transcending Na- 

 ture and the Biocosmos, which, however, con- 

 stitutes its sphere. 



Consequently we shall divide this realm of 

 Cytology, the science of the cell-world proper, 

 according to itsdeepest criterion, which is its 

 associative character. The first of its stages 

 is the pre-cellular protoplasmic mass of vi- 

 talism, the potentiality of all Life, Nature 

 becoming cell. The second stage is the cell 

 separated and organized, as self-active and 

 self-contained individual, the unicellular or- 

 ganism in its primal autonomy. The third is 

 the organized multi-cellular stage, the asso- 

 ciation of cells to form all the higher organ- 

 isms of Nature, vegetal and animal. 



I. Pre-cellular Life. First of all let it be 

 remembered that this has never been opened 

 up to the senses, it is as yet a speculative en- 

 tity, toward which biological science with its 

 varied laboratory equipment is in hot pur- 

 suit. Already it has been stated often enough 

 that the First Life (primum vivum, proto- 

 bioticon), has not been reached microscopic- 

 ally or otherwise, and only exists for us as a 

 postulate of thought. Still this is what the 

 grand army of biologists are seeking more or 

 less unconsciously, namely, the physical man- 

 ifestation of their psychical concept. Can we 

 not find in Nature what exists in our minds 



