THE 



PHENOMENA OF MOTION 



IN THE 



ANIMAL ORGANISM. 



I. 



IT might appear an unprofitable task to add one 

 more to the innumerable forms under which the 

 human intellect has viewed the nature and essence 

 of that peculiar cause which must be considered 

 as the ultimate source of the phenomena which 

 characterize vegetable and animal life, were it not 

 that certain conceptions present themselves as ne- 

 cessary deductions from the views on this subject 

 developed in the introduction to the first part of 

 this work. The following pages will be devoted 

 to a more detailed examination of these deductions. 

 It must be admitted here, that all these conclu- 

 sions will lose their force and significance, if it can 

 be proved that the cause of vital activity has in 

 its manifestations nothing in common with other 

 known causes which produce motion or change of 

 form and structure in matter. 



But a comparison of its peculiarities with the 



modus operandi of these other causes, cannot, at 



all events, fail to be advantageous, inasmuch as 



the nature and essence of natural phenomena are 



o 2 



