ch. viii.] THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE 425 



suggested by the use of the word " spontaneous " are such 

 as to detract seriously from its availableness as a scientific 

 terra. We need a phrase which shall simply describe a 

 fact, without any admixture of hypothesis ; and we may 

 cordially recommend, as such a phrase, Dr. Bastian's arche- 

 biosis, which, without violence to etymology, may be said to 

 mean " life in its beginning," — or, more freely, " beginning 

 of life." 



With these preliminaries, the precise question now at issue 

 between the believers in " spontaneous generation " and their 

 opponents may be stated as follows : — Can archebiosis be 

 made to occur at the present day by artificial means ? Or, to 

 be still more accurate, Has arehcbiosis actually been made to 

 occur at the present day by artificial means ? Is it possible 

 for the experimenter, without any assistance from life already 

 existing, to obtain living things, merely by bringing together 

 the chemical constituents of protoplasm, under suitable phy- 

 sical conditions ? Or, granting the possibility, can it be 

 proved that living things have actually been thus obtained ? 

 To this twofold question there are returned diverse answers. 

 On the one hand, Dr. Bastian maintains that himself and 

 other experimenters have actually seen archebiosis artificially 

 brought about. On the other hand, it is likely to be main- 

 tained by most competent critics that, while there may be no 

 good reason for denying the possibility of such a triumph of 

 experiment, we have not yet sufficient proof that it has been 

 really achieved. 



It should not be forgotten that the decision of the more 

 general question of the origin of life on the earth's surface 

 does not depend upon the way in which this special contro- 

 versy is decided. While it is true that the success of ex- 

 periments like those of Dr. Bastian would furnish conclusive 

 inductive proof of archebiosis, it is also true that their com- 

 plete; failure can in no wise be cited in evidence against the 

 doctrine. On the one hand, the artificial production of living 



