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substance, to internal composition, chemistry establishes 

 this also. All forms of protoplasm, that is, consist 

 alike of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and 

 behave similarly under similar reagents. 



So, now, a uniform character having in this threefold 

 manner been proved for protoplasm, what is its origin, 

 and what its fate ? Of these the latter is not far to 

 seek. The fate of protoplasm is death death into its 

 chemical constituents ; and this determines its origin 

 also. Protoplasm can originate only in that into which 

 it dies, the elements the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, 

 and nitrogen of which it was found to consist. Hydro- 

 gen, with oxygen, forms water; carbon, with oxygen, 

 carbonic acid ; and hydrogen, with nitrogen, ammonia. 

 Similarly, water, carbonic acid and ammonia form, in 

 union, protoplasm. The influence of pre-existing pro- 

 toplasm only determines combination in its case, as that 

 of the electric spark determines combination in the 

 case of water. Protoplasm, then, is but an aggregate 

 of physical materials, exhibiting in combination only 

 as was to be expected new properties. The proper- 

 ties of water are not more different from those of 

 hydrogen and oxygen than the properties of protoplasm 

 are different from those of water, carbonic acid, and 

 ammonia. We have the same warrant to attribute the 

 consequences to the premises in the one case as in the 

 other. If, on the first stage of combination, repre- 

 sented by that of water, simples could unite into some- 

 thing so different from themselves, why, on the second 

 stage of combination, represented by that of proto- 

 plasm, should not compounds similarly unite into some- 

 thing equally different from themselves ? If the con- 

 stituents are credited with the properties there, why 



