LIFE AS COMPARED WITH THE PHYSICAL FORCES. S9 



was urged that infusoria and microbia were self-begotten. 

 The experiments made in this direction by Pouchet and others 

 seemed at times to be successful ; but on closer examination 

 some flaw Avas always present. The air is not free from the 

 spores of microscopic vegetation, nor even from the ova of 

 minute animalcules. The surfaces of the apparatus used in 

 such experiments, glasses, forceps, stiri'ing rods, etc., are 

 coated with them ; the water and even, the mercury used 

 are not free from life, Pasteur and Tyndall have made 

 many experiments with every precaution, and have again 

 and again found Hunter's law verified — "no life without 

 antecedent life." 



20. The trial is being daily made in commerce on a gigantic 

 scale. The Australian mutton, heated for a sufficient 

 time to a temperature high enough to destroy the germs of 

 life, at once plunged into tins similarly heated and at once 

 soldered up, remains sonnd, — that is lifeless. In a few rare 

 cases where such tinried meats have been found bad on 

 opening, it has appeared that there Avas some little flaAv or 

 chink in the metal or the soldering through whicJi air might 

 enter. And Avhere air does so enter it carries along Avith it 

 the germs of life. 



21. The experimentalists Avho have endeavoured to origin- 

 ate life afresli haA^e all been guilty of an error in princij)le, 

 Avliich AA^ould have vitiated their results even if apparently 

 successful. They operated upon animal and vegetable 

 matter, milk, blood, juices of meat, decoctions of hay, etc. 

 NoAv all these substances presuppose the existence of life. 

 They haA^e neA^er fairly attempted to originate life from 

 mineral mattei'S I Hence their most skilful experiments have 

 been in principle null and void. Before Ave can shoAv the 

 origin of life Ave must be able to produce it in matter Avhich 

 is not merely lifeless, but which is not a product of life, and 

 which as far as Ave know has never been quickened. No 

 attempts in this direction are recorded in the scientific 

 journals. I must confess that when a youth I spent some 

 time in experiments of this kind. I am now by no means 

 disposed to rencAv the attempts. If man Avere able to call 

 into existence some being Avhich has no place in nature, 

 it might prove to be the germ of some pestilence more 

 dreadful than any yet known. 



22. There are persons Avho tell us that if Ave can only bring 

 protoplasm into spontaneous motion the great problem of 

 life will have been solved. If ! we have long ago been told 



