Conclusion 357 



The third hypothesis attributes the vital phenomenon 

 essentially to an intra-nuclear oscillating nervous dis- 

 charge; and this idea has enabled us, with the help of the 

 above mentioned second hypothesis of specific accumu- 

 lators, to explain likewise the fundamental property of 

 the life phenomenon, which consists in assimilation. 



It is hardly necessary to state that the first and second 

 hypotheses although, as we have said, all the three 

 hypotheses support each other mutually, are yet totally 

 independent of the third, and therefore can stand equally 

 well whether the latter is accepted or rejected. 



We do not venture to offer this latter as a true and 

 proper hypothesis. The phenomenon of life is still too 

 little established for so bold a venture. We consider it 

 only as a provisional scheme of the vital process which 

 may serve as an initial concrete basis for further investi- 

 gation into the nature of life. For in affording 

 provisionally any firm foundation upon which the discus- 

 sion of a question still awaiting solution can be based, one 

 attains always the great advantage of determining exactly 

 the conditions of the question, of showing clearly the 

 untenability of certain views which was not possible 

 formerly while the question had yet too indefinite a form, 

 and of bringing us in this way slowly but certainly nearer 

 to a correct understanding of the phenomenon, in propor- 

 tion as after discarding the untenable propositions the 

 tenable stand out more clearly and convincingly and 

 thereby are given a more firm foundation. 



It remains then only to await quietly the judgment of 

 the critic and to express in advance our thanks to all 

 those who are willing to accord us friendly support in 

 word and deed, and thereby make possible a somewhat 

 more thorough elaboration of the subject which we were 



