CHAPTER VI 

 DANGERS OF TOO HASTY ANALYSIS 



IT might be thought that the previous chapters had pre- 

 pared us to discover what we seek, namely What are the 

 esseiitial biological phenomena, the characters, which 

 distinguish living bodies from not-living bodies ? 



In point of fact, we are now aware that in biological 

 phenomena there are chemical activities and colloidal 

 activities. If we could only say tvhat chemical activities 

 and what colloidal activities, we should very likely be able 

 to separate living bodies from not-living bodies. 



Unfortunately, in the actual state of chemistry and 

 physics, we cannot answer such questions. We cannot 

 say by what chemical or colloid peculiarity the living being 

 differs from its corpse. So far we can think of defining life 

 only by its results. But we are certain that such a definition 

 is possible, since in common life the most ignorant men do 

 not hesitate in the greater number of cases to assert that 

 one body is living and that another is not. There must 

 therefore be objective characters, quite open to research, 

 which answer the question. 



We must analyse all that we know of the manner of 

 being of living bodies, in order to find out that which belongs 

 to them and to them alone ; but we must choose our method 

 of analysis so as to avoid errors which, by leading us into 

 mistakes in language, would make all our efforts barren from 

 the start. 



