VITAL FORCE A MISLEADING TERM. 225 



dissent from the whole of this, and to give reasons in 

 full would be simple repetition. It would be interest- 

 ing to hear an example of the chemical force which is 

 equal to several equivalents of "inferior" force, an 

 expression which I cannot understand. Beyond that 

 the word " force " is simply used instead of property, 

 and the expression equivalent is out of place ; other- 

 wise, if the potential energy of the more highly 

 organized forms of protoplasm were really greater in 

 proportion there would be no difficulty in finding it 

 out and measuring it in heat units at death. Imagine 

 the tremendous energy shut up in the brain cells of a 

 man, to be discharged at the moment of death ! why 

 his skull would surely be blown to pieces ! Seriously, 

 there is no reason to suppose that the more complex 

 and highly organized protoplasm contains more poten- 

 tial energy than some of the tissues and secretions. 

 On the contrary, it is probable that the haemoglobin 

 and some other quaternary compounds are of higher 

 potential energy, and it is certain that fat is, and the 

 uncombined elements are higher than that. It is cer- 

 tainly not impossible that there may be some organic 

 compound of higher potential energy than the uncom- 

 bined elements, for such occurs in some chemical com- 

 pounds (e.g., carburet of sulphur and protoxide of 

 nitrogen) ; but none is known as far as I am aware. 

 To conclude this part of the subject ; the expression 

 vital force is false and misleading in every way, and in 

 respect to the characteristic powers of living matter, 

 the law of conservation and equivalence of energy has 

 no more direct bearing than in analytical chemistry. 

 In the constitution of the protoplasm force is, indeed, 



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