352 PROFESSOK IJONEL S. BEALE, V.R.fi., ON 



ordinaiy physical course of things that bioplasm could have 

 originated frona the material substances of whicli this world is 

 composed, seeing, if you go back a certain number of millions of 

 years you find that everything was in an incandescent condition. 

 The subject is one of great importance from various points of 

 view, and in regard to health, taking the condition into which 

 human beings are apt to drop by unguarded and immoral 

 conduct. 



The degeneration of life, or the bios, is another of those points, 

 which I should like to have discussed. I do not know that Dr. 

 Beale in his books has shown us that bioplasm is capable of rising 

 in the scale of being. [ have not read all his works. I I'emember 

 how he shows that much disease arises from the degeneration of 

 bioplasm. If that could be avoided it would show a great advance 

 in medical science, and would be helpful to us as moral and 

 religious teachers who have to mingle with people who are thought- 

 less and careless of their own and their children's habits, and it 

 would be helpful to us in the exposition of the Scriptures. 

 (Applause.) 



A Membeh. — Might I ask the President a question on a subject 

 which I think is interesting ? 



I remember years ago, when the telephone was introduced, that 

 a number of persons stood holding one anothers' hands, and a 

 current of electricity was passed through them from one telephone 

 to another. It was alleged that the sound had been changed into 

 electricity, and that it changed back again into sound. What 

 happened on its passing through the human bodies ? Did it 

 change into a form of fluidity, or did it remain electricity? 



The Pr1!;sident. — I have not much hesitation in answering that 

 it simply passed through the bodies as an electric current. 



The Mk.mi'.eh. — Could that inquiry be pressed a step further? 

 Of what nature is nerve force, that electricity so acts upon it as to 

 cause, for instance, a rabbit's nose to move after the rabbit is dead ? 

 How are we to distinguish true nerve force and the electric current 

 that produces this ? 



The Pit ESI DENT. — Imay say that I do not profess to know anything 

 about the vital action, or the action of electricity on animals ; but 

 in the particular case of the telephone and producing a shock by 

 means of passing a current through the body, 1 do not think there 

 is Miiything to indicate that that had anything to do with vitality 

 at all. The body acta as a wet sponge would to convey the 

 cm rent. 



