THE BIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE. 123 



But whether my views are, or will be, borne out 

 by the experience of others in this matter of luxury 

 and gastronomic epicureanism or not, I confess is 

 to me a matter of little moment. It is the bearing 

 of these truths upon the food-supply of the millions, 

 who want to get life and health, and not luxury, out 

 of their sustenance, that seems to me all-important. 



Now while fully granting the marvellous benefit 

 which the glorious science of chemistry has been to 

 the masses of mankind, it has, in one important point, 

 been bitterly disappointing. I believe that a true 

 Science of Biology is destined to fully perform all that 

 Chemistry seemed to promise, or rather it will teach 

 us that Nature is ever far kinder to us than in our 

 ignorance we can believe. 



To show what these hopes were, I refer the reader 

 to Herschel's classical Discourse on the Study of 

 Natural Philosophy. I shall give a sufficient quotation 

 to make the point quite clear. 



Herschel's foot-notes are inserted in brackets. 



" The transformations of chemistry, by which 

 we are enabled to convert the most apparently 

 useless materials into important objects in the 

 arts, are opening up to us every day sources of 

 wealth and convenience of which former ages 

 had no idea, and which have been pure gifts of 

 science to man. Every department of art has 

 felt their influence, and new instances are con- 

 tinually starting forth of the unlimited resources 

 which this wonderful science develops in the 

 most sterile parts of Nature, Not to mention the 

 impulse which its progress has given to a host of 

 other sciences, which will come more particu- 



