68 THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



of the Vital and of the Physical forces is admitted 

 to be true, it can, we think, be believed only in this 

 form, and the vitalists must give up their last strong- 

 hold we cannot even grant them a right to assume 



the existence of a special c vital force ' whose peculiar 

 office it is to effect the transformation of physical 

 forces. The notion that such a force does exist, is 

 based upon no evidence ; it is a mere postulate. The 

 assumption of its existence carries with it nothing 

 but confusion and contradiction, because the very 

 supposition that it exists and that it does so act, is 

 totally adverse to the general doctrine of the Coi rela- 

 tion of the Forces. Need we say more ? Does it not 

 follow, if living organisms of the simplest kind are ever 

 now evolved in solutions containing organic matter, 

 that such rudimentary forms of life are to be regarded 

 as resulting from the collocations of organic molecules 

 in peculiar modes, brought about by the expenditure of 

 incident physical forces whilst the dynamic mani- 

 festations of these peculiar aggregates would constitute 

 those phenomena which we term vital, and which are 

 designated in their generality by the word c Life ?' 



To speak then of Life as a result of organization 

 is obviously as much in accordance with the general 

 doctrine which we have been unfolding, as the other 

 view that Life is a cause of organization is opposed to 

 it. The last doctrine is an appanage of obsolete views ; 

 it accords only with the notion that Force is a some- 

 thing separate, or at least separable, from matter a 



