ANIMAL. 119 



stances,* besides the imponderables light, as in disintegrating inorganic objects, he has 

 caloric, and electricity. The whole of these hitherto failed in compounding any one of the 

 are met with in the mineral or inorganic world; higher organic products or immediate prin- 

 but no more than nineteen of them have been ciples of plants and animals.* Chemical 

 detected in the constitution of organized bo- analysis we may therefore imagine to be a 

 dies.f Six of this number, indeed, oxygen, process of a very different nature as applied 

 hydrogen, carbon, azote, phosphorus, and cal- to inorganic objects from what it is when ap- 

 cium, occur in such abundance as to compose plied to organic substances. With reference 

 almost the whole mass of organized bodies; to the former it signifies a simple disintegra- 

 the remaining thirteen are met with but spa- tion, with an inherent capacity in the elements 

 ringly distributed, and some of them even separated to reunite into the compound ana- 

 appear to be adventitious, and by no means lysed ; in the latter it constantly implies de- 

 essential to the constitution of the bodies in struction, without any such continuing power 

 which they are encountered. of recombination among the constituent ele- 

 Speaking generally, the chemical eomposi- ments. Chemical synthesis, consequently, is 

 tion of inorganic objects may be stated to be an expression that can only be logically used 

 the more simple, many of them consisting of in connection with inorganic objects. 

 a single element only, and when more com- Considered with reference to their intimate 

 pound generally presenting binary, and at texture, organized beings are no less strikingly 

 most ternary combinations of known elements, different from unorganized bodies. The last 

 Organized bodies, on the other hand, are never are either solid, or fluid, or gaseous ; they never 

 made up of single elements, they are not even occur commingled, each subserving the ex- 

 binary combinations, vegetables in the aggre- istence of the other. The water of crystalli- 

 gate being at least ternary, and animals at zation, and the globules of this and other fluids 

 least quaternary compounds. Though the occasionally found included within the sub- 

 elements which compose inanimate objects, stance of minerals, are but adventitious, being 

 therefore, are more numerous, the combinations in the first instance entangled among their 

 they enter into are less complex than those they component molecules, in the second imprisoned 

 form in the constitution of living things. within accidental cavities in their substances 

 Another difference in the chemical consti- but contributing in nowise to the existence 

 tution of unorganized and of organized bodies or duration of the matter that surrounds them, 

 consists in the mode or form in which the che- Organized bodies, on the other hand, consist. 

 mical elements exist in each. In the former uniformly of solid and of fluid parts : whilst 

 they present themselves immediately as it were, the vegetable has its woody fibre and constituent 

 the chemist in his analyses coming upon them parenchyma, it has its sap also ; and animals 

 at once ; in the latter they occur under two with their firmer bones, muscles, cellular sub- 

 forms, the one immediate as in minerals, the stance, &c. have likewise blood circulating 

 other mediate, or arranged under a variety of through their bodies, or various fluids de- 

 new and peculiar shapes, which, with reference posited within their tissues, which are just as 

 to the bodies they mainly constitute, are con- essential to their constitution and continuance 

 veniently and fairly spoken of as elements, as the containing parts themselves. It is even 

 with the prefix organic, they being exclusively by the mutual play of the solids and fluids 

 the products of life and organization ; these which enter into the composition of organized 

 are also frequently spoken of as the immediate beings that they manifest themselves in action 

 principles of vegetables and animals. or exhibit the phenomena which are peculiar 

 In the inorganic world, again, the con- to them, and which we denominate vital. It 

 stituent elements of bodies are always united were indifferent whether we took away the 

 by virtue of, and in harmony with, the general solids (were such a thing possible) or the 

 laws of chemical affinity, whilst in the organic fluids of a vegetable or an animal ; in either 

 the compounds formed are very often even case it must perish. The solids and fluids of 

 the opposites of those that would have been organized beings consequently are in intimate 

 originated under the dominion of these laws, and inseparable relationship one with another. 

 From this it comes that, whilst the chemist Consistence. From this admixture of solids 

 finds almost as little difficulty in recomposing and fluids in the world of organization results 



the variety of consistence which its objects pre- 



* Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, phosphorus, sul- sent - In the inorganic kingdom, rigidity, 



phur, boriiun, silenium, iodine, fluor, chlorine, rigidity, too, which is uniform, is One of the 



bromine, azote, silicium, zirconium, aluminium, distinguishing characteristics. In the organic, 



yttrium, glucynium, magnesium, calcium, stron- on tne contrary, pliancy and softness, which 



iryum, potassium, sodium lithium, man- ag u ; n individual' as in almost 



ganeae, zinc, iron, tin, arsenic, molybdenum, tung- * 

 sten, Colombian!, chromium, antimony, ciranium, 



cerium, cobalt, titanium, bismuth, cadmium, cop- * The exceptions to this position are scarcely 



per, tellurium, lead, mercury, nickel, osmium, worth noticing one or two of the more simple 



silver, gold, platinum, palladium, rhodium, and organic elements, oxalic acid and urea, for ex- 



iridium. ample, have been formed synthetically, and a 



t Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, azote, phosphorus, substance bearing a remote affinity to fat has also 



sulphur, iodine, bromine, chlorine, fluor, silicium, been produced. No one, however, has ever suc- 



aluminium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, cal- ceeded in forming fibrino, ncurine, fccula, gum, 



cium, manganese, iron, and copper. &c. synthetically. 



