PLANTS, AND INANIMATE MATTER. 81 



however, that forms of Hfe were generated spontaneously 

 from earth, mud, sand, foam, or the dew which falls on 

 plants. 



In order that lifeless matter may become living matter, 

 some vital principle must be associated with it, but it is 

 difficult to understand in what w-ay Aristotle believed that 

 this association was effected. It could not be, apparently, 

 by a transfer of vital principle alone to non-living matter, 

 for Aristotle persistently asserts that the vital principle, 

 that, at least, to which nutritive or sentient faculties are 

 due, cannot have a separate existence. He gives some 

 explanation of his views in several passages, especially in 

 his G. A. iii. c. 11. According to these, the inanimate 

 matter undergoes some kind of maturing process in presence 

 of moisture and at a suitable high temperature, the moisture 

 containing some breath of life {Tinvi^a), and everything being 

 in some way full of vital principle {-^"X^). Then frothy 

 bubbles of this specially prepared matter are formed, and 

 within these generation proceeds rapidly. The nature of 

 the forms of life thus formed will depend partly on the 

 nature of the matter caught up within the bubbles and partly 

 on the nature of the vital principle enclosed. 



This is a short summary of the way in which Aristotle 

 believed that spontaneous generation was effected. Another 

 important statement, giving some indication of his views on 

 the subject under discussion is the following : — " The part 

 of the rudimentary vital principle (^J^yx'tw «p;>C") caught up and 

 enclosed in the breath of life {'Trnuixa) makes the germ or 

 embryo and imparts movement."* 



It is not clear what this 'nvEUfMa was intended to be. In 

 some translations of this and other passages on spontaneous 

 generation, Trvsu/xa is rendered by "air", but this is incorrect, 

 for, apart from differences in meaning between TiveS/xa and 

 arip, the usual Greek word for air, Aristotle says that air {avp) 

 is not present and cannot remain in water.! The same 

 assertion is also made in the Aristotelian treatise, De Spiritu, 

 c. 2, 482. 



Many parts of the passages in Aristotle's works on 

 spontaneous generation are general statements covering 

 many important details in the steps of the process. It is 

 not surprising that he makes no attempt to trace these 

 details. 



- G. A. iii. c. 11, 7626. 



f De Sensu, ic, c. 5, 448a. ; De Respir. c. 2, 471a. 



G 



