HYGIOLOGY 175 



ticularized Biocosmos, the association of cells 

 into their particular forms. 



Retrospect. Before passing on, we may 

 take a glance back at the Cellular Biocosmos, 

 and trace some of its relations to the Dia- 

 cosmos, especially in the matter of Chemism, 

 which is the final diacosimcal stage (see Cos- 

 mos and Diacosmos, p. 543), and is just an- 

 tecedent to Life, or the Biocosmos. The 

 result is that not a few scientists have re- 

 solved the vital process into a chemical one, 

 which it is, but also something distinctively 

 more. Chemism does not control Life, on the 

 contrary Life controls Chemism to its end. 

 This point we may reflect upon a little. 



The chemical process presupposes a chem- 

 ical product which it decomposes into its con- 

 stituents ; thus it tears to pieces its own pre- 

 vious work. On the other hand it recomposes 

 these constituents, making them perchance 

 into new compounds, which again it assails 

 and separates. Chemism is, therefore, al- 

 ways attacking Chemism in its own product, 

 which it will undo, and so undo itself. Yet, it 

 will put together in another way what it has 

 divided. So Chemism has a negative and a 

 positive action, which fall apart while 'each 

 is ever counteracting the other; each seems 

 to be pursuing the other without overtaking 

 it. The compound is decomposed into its 



