2-30 PROFESSOR LIONEL S. BEALE, F.R.C.P., F.R.S., ON 



certain living plants. You may then see the vital movements 

 of the living material, which used to be called protoplasm, 

 whether living or dead, and is so still by some authorities. 

 But the protoplasm of authority which is dead must be 

 absolutely distinguished from actual living matter or bioplasm. 

 Huxley used the term protoplasm very freely ; but he did 

 not distinguish the dead from living protoplasm. He went 

 so far as to say that if he took the " protoplasm " into his 

 body in the shape of roast or boiled mutton it Avould add to^ 

 increase, or replace the protoplasm of his body, Avhich was 

 being used up. But what he took was not living, but merely 

 the products resulting from the death of the bioplasm, 

 which had been roasted or boiled and then swallowed. This 

 was dissolved and at length caused to live by living 

 matter, and then became the "protoplasm" of his body. 

 To this day Huxley's arbitrary fancy is received by many, 

 and passes as if it were scientifically correct and true. 

 (Applause.) 



When water is exposed to the air for a certain time the 

 ova or portion of the bioplast of many of the lowest, simplest, 

 living forms, microscopic " protozoa," " bacteria," " fungi,'^ 

 etc., pass into the Avater, even if it is distilled water, and in 

 a few hours or days, according to the time of year, you find 

 minute living organisms in millions in a drop of the water. 

 These minute creatures used to be termed animalcules, and 

 are now called protozoa, but it matters little by what name 

 they are known. Each consists of soft material with which 

 is associated a very large proportion of water. If you took 

 the water in which hundreds of these living organisms were 

 in active movement and evaporated the water, you would 

 probably find that perhaps ninety-nine per cent, had dis- 

 appeared, leaving only this mere trace of dry solid matter. 

 So that the bodies of these creatures must be composed almost 

 entirely of water, incorporated with an infinitesimal amount of 

 organic solid matter — or was the water itself incorporated with 

 and an inseparable part of the living matter, and also living ? 

 The matter of all organisms and tissues in the early growing 

 condition, as I have already remarked, consists largely of water. 

 But the movements of the most minute living protozoa are of 

 the most complicated and perfect kind. Not only are they 

 wonderfully active, but you see them steering their way 

 around and between obstacles ; seldom coming into contact 

 with them or with one another. Their unceasing activity is 

 most remarkable. Many of the larger protozoa are easily 



