HYGIOLOGY. ^77 



Indeed the animal body is full of chemical 

 processes but always under command. The 

 air we breathe oxydizes the venous blood, 

 which is thereby chemically changed, so that 

 we may breathe. That is, our breathing ap- 

 paratus through Chemism creates and keeps 

 re-creating itself. What our muscular sys- 

 tem does is just what enables it to do; the 

 power which goes out brings itself back. The 

 organism is indeed the product of Chemism, 

 but just this product produces in turn Chem- 

 ism, which by itself has no such return. Oth- 

 erwise stated, the producing and the produced 

 in Chemism are separated and end in separ- 

 ation, while in Life they are in one and form 

 one process. Decomposition and recomposi- 

 tion are cut in two by the chemical process, 

 and are held asunder, while in the vital pro- 

 cess, the produced is the producing, the de- 

 composed is recomposed into what decomp- 

 poses. 



Still we are not to forget that Chemism 

 is the potentiality of Life, the latter 's two 

 sides shown as separate just before they are 

 united or rather just for the purpose of be- 

 ing united in their higher synthesis. The 

 chemical process seems ever ready to pitch 

 over into Life, but does not, cannot, without 

 ceasing to be itself. Still we may mark its 

 striving in that direction, it longs to over- 



