LIFE AS COMPARED WITH THE PHYSICAL FORCES. 51 



mechanical motion, whicli the most complex machines are capable 

 of performing. 



Is it not clear then that vital force associated Avith the bi-ain 

 and spinal cord effects all these mechanical movements of the 

 body, just as the electric or steam force acts upon the movable 

 parts of the machinery upon which they are brought to bear ? 

 In each case a movable body, or parts of a body — applied force — 

 and movement as a result. 



Does it not further appear that a current of primary force 

 holds within itself as properties or constituents of it — as in the 

 case of a ray of white light — in a state of parallelism — heat, 

 light, electriciiy, actinic, and probably other forces— as yet un- 

 known to us, which do become manifest when its parallelism is 

 disturbed or destroyed. 



We have now to consider an important statement by the author 

 of this paper, viz., that vital force, unlike physical force, cannot 

 be measured; and he asks for a measure of life force, and 

 standard of comparison. 



Now, if we seek for this measure of life force and standard of 

 comparison, we must search for it among tlie opposing forces of 

 life, of which it may be truly said "their name is legion," e.g., 

 starvation, blood-letting, poisons, etc., etc. From all these we 

 may, with most advantage, select that of poison, the power of 

 which, in opposition to that of life force, is now so well-known, as 

 to enable us by its means most readily, and with nearly absolute 

 certainty, to estimate the quantity of life force present in some 

 organic bodies. 



As to the degree of vital force existent in different individuals, 

 in animals, and other organic forms of life, it is clearly and 

 undoubtedly evident that to no two bodies has the Creatoi'^ 

 accorded exactly the same measure of vital force. Daily the old 

 aphorism of the famous Greek physician presents itself to our 

 minds in all its completeness and truth, " We differ from ourselves 

 ab some times in our lives, no less than we differ from everybody 

 else at all others." If this be so, as exemplified in each 

 individual, in infancy, youth, and old age — owing to antecedent 

 or hereditary causes producing difference of quality of structures 

 — inherited and acquired ; from opposing forces of disease — in- 

 herited and otherwise ; from mode of life, et alia inter alias, it 

 follows that no absolute standard of vital or life force per se 



E 2 



