346 PROFESSOR LIONKL S. BEALE, I'.R.S,, ON 



living muTtor ami is not itself livinp,-, you ol)scTve a certain 

 proportion l)etween the two — between the Bioplasm or llnng 

 inatfer and the lixsne ov fanned )natter. In a kitten somewhat 

 oklor yen will find the cartilag-e tissue has considerably in- 

 creased, and the little particles of living matter are separated 

 farther from one another by the increase of the tissue ; and at 

 a later period of life, the same thing is shown in an advanced 

 degree, and so on till the Jidult stage is reached. We learn 

 these important ])oiiitsnot oidy from cartilage, but from mus- 

 cular, fibrous, and other tissues of our bodies. From the brain 

 and ganglia, nerves, vessels, epithelium, we obtain like 

 evidence. In every living organism as it advances from 

 early age to maturity, the same lesson is taught, to any one 

 who will observe the facts and think tiiem over. 



10. Further, it must be borne in mind that living matter 

 idonehas this power of producing the formed material or tissue. 

 All the properties which distinguish the several tissues are due 

 to the inflnenceof" vitality"— the living power of the Bioplasm 

 acting upon the matter in solution brought to the Bioplasts — 

 l)assing into the very substance of the living, and receiving- 

 from it, vital power. I cannot see how we can accept any 

 explanation other than that I have brought under your 

 notice. Indeed, having thought well over the question 

 after prolonged investigation on organisms widely differing, 

 I can come to no other conclusion, and do not believe the 

 facts are open to any other interpretation without doing- 

 violence to fact and reason. 



It comes to this — that every part of every living organism 

 was once in a state of perfectly clear, transparent, structure- 

 less material which contained a very large percentage of 

 pure water. Take a small portion of bioplasm from any 

 department of living nature, and Avhile it is growing and 

 active, you will probably find as much as IK) to l\") })er cent, of 

 water, and in some cases 6ven moi-e. The powers of this clear, 

 transparent, and structureless material are something quite 

 extraordinary. The Avonderful structure and properties of 

 all the tissues that exist throughout the living world come from 

 l)ioplasm, and every kind of Bioplasm comes from Idioplasm 

 parti(;les that existed before it. All our Bioplasm particles 

 are descendants of the original germ ])artieles which existed 

 at the very beginning of each individnal organism — from 

 the lowest, to man the very highest. How^ever complicated 

 the mature organism may Ia-, the same remarks apply, aud^ 

 T lielievc, nnist be accepted as true. 



