THE BREATH OF LIFE 



open to certain types of mind. Positive science 

 cannot follow us in this step, because science is lim- 

 ited to the verifiable. The stream of forces with 

 which it deals is continuous; it must find the physi- 

 cal equivalents of all the forces that go into the body 

 in the output of the body, and it cannot admit of a 

 life force which it cannot trace to the physical 

 forces. 



What has science done to clear up this mystery of 

 vitality? Professor Loeb, our most eminent experi- 

 mental biologist, has succeeded in fertilizing the 

 eggs of some low forms of sea life by artificial means ; 

 and in one instance, at least, it is reported that the 

 fatherless form grew to maturity. This is certainly 

 an interesting fact, but takes us no nearer the solu- 

 tion of the mystery of vitality than the fact that 

 certain chemical compounds may stimulate the or- 

 gans of reproduction helps to clear up the mystery 

 of generation; or the fact that certain other chemi- 

 cal compounds help the digestive and assimilative 

 processes and further the metabolism of the body as- 

 sists in clearing up the mystery that attaches to 

 these things. In all such cases we have the living 

 body to begin with. The egg of the sea-urchin and 

 the egg of the jelly-fish are living beings that re- 

 sponded to certain chemical substances, so that a 

 process is set going in their cell life that is equivalent 

 to fertilization. It seems to me that the result of all 

 Professor Loeb's valuable inquiries is only to give 



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