IS LIFE UNIVERSAL? 143 



The terra " Principle of Individuation " admirably 

 expresses the distinguishing characteristic of the 

 animal body. Its force is, as it were, contained 

 or reflected within itself. Gathered from nature in 

 nutrition, the force which the organic matter em- 

 bodies, instead of passing freely onwards, is retained 

 and stored up within it. And the structure into 

 which the growing organism is moulded, causes that 

 force, when it is set free, to effect actions which 

 subserve the well-being of the animal. And not 

 only so, but this very force, when it is given off, by 

 decomposition, within the body, may be reflected 

 back upon the organism itself, and cause its in- 

 creased growth ; the decay, as we have seen, renew- 

 ing the nutrition. Is there any way of expressing 

 these facts more appropriate than to say that in the 

 animal body the force is turned upon itself self- 

 centered ? It is " individualized ; " limited within 

 definitely marked bounds. Nothing is there which 

 is not elsewhere in nature, but a limit is applied to 

 that which elsewhere is freely circulating. 



Again it is like a machine. We cannot help 

 perceiving the analogy ; for in a machine the very 



