98 THE MECHANICAL FUNCTIONS. 



their labours have hitherto been fruitless. Fan- 

 ciful hypotheses in abundance might be adduced 

 on this favourite topic of speculation ; but they 

 have led to no useful or satisfactory result. 

 Haller, who pursued the inquiry with great 

 ardour, came to the conclusion that there existed 

 what he calls the simple or primordial fibre, 

 which he represents as bearing to anatomy the 

 same relation that a line does to geometry. 

 Chemical analysis alone is sufficient to overturn 

 all these hypotheses of the uniformity of the 

 proximate elementary materials of the animal 

 organs : for they are found to be extremely di- 

 versified in their chemical composition. Neither 

 has the microscope enabled us to resolve the 

 problem : for although it has been alleged by 

 many observers that the ultimate elements of 

 every animal structure consists of minute glo- 

 bules, little confidence is to be placed in these 

 results obtained by the employment of high 

 magnifying powers, which are open to so many 

 sources of fallacy. That globules exist in great 

 numbers, not only in the blood, but in all ani- 

 mal fluids, there can be no doubt : and that 

 these globules, by cohering, compose many of 

 the solids, is also extremely probable. But it is 

 very doubtful whether they are essential to the 

 composition of other parts, such as the fibres of 

 the muscles, the nerves, the ligaments, the ten- 

 dons, and the cellular texture : for the most 



