60 THE CELL-SOUL, ETC. 



with our monistic conception of the cell-soul, we must 

 conclude that the fertilised ovum-cell already virtually 

 possesses those psychical properties which, by the special 

 combination of the peculiarities inherited from both 

 parents, characterise the individual soul of the new 

 person ; in the course of the development of the germ, 

 the cell-soul of the fertilised ovum naturally is de- 

 veloped simultaneously with its material substratum* 

 and subsequently, after birth, it appears in full activity. 

 According to Virchow's dualistic conception of the 

 psyche, we must, on the contrary, assume that this 

 immaterial essence at some period of its embryonic 

 development (apparently when the spine separates 

 itself from the external germ - layer) informs the 

 soulless germ. Of course, the bare miracle is thus 

 complete, and the natural and unbroken continuity of 

 development is superfluous. 



