The President's Address. By L. 8. Beale, F.R.S. 187 



same order made at dijBferent periods of history — although they may 

 succeed for a time, and by them people may he driven away from 

 the truth — will ere long be given up. They may be safely left to 

 the gradual process of disintegration and ultimate dissipation by 

 which these and such-like fancies of physical ingenuity will be 

 disposed of. 



As I have shown elsewhere, whenever tissue and other matters 

 peculiar to living beings are to be formed, living matter undergoes 

 change. In fact, the act of forming these things corresponds with 

 the cessation of life in the particles. 



Let us now consider the probable nature of the marvellous 

 forces or powers which operate upon the material of the living 

 matter, and determine the relations to one another of the elements 

 or collections of elements of which it consists. By the relations 

 established between the elements shortly before living matter dies, 

 will depend the properties and composition of the resulting formed 

 substances. The changes in each particular kind of living matter 

 are somewhat different, but peculiar to and characteristic of that 

 particular kind, and as regards it, constant and uniform. But no 

 differences in the chemical composition or in any physical characters 

 to be shown in different kinds of living matter, will in any way 

 account for or explain the differences so remarkable in the formed 

 material which is produced by or results from the death of the living 

 matter. Nor do any properties of the particles yet discovered enable 

 us to suggest a plausible physical hypothesis to account for the facts. 



All those peculiarities in form, structure, and properties of tissue, 

 which characterize the multitudinous forms of life around us, and 

 which enable us to distinguish them from one another, are imposed 

 upon the matter at the moment when it passes from the living to < 

 the formed state, or succeed as the result of a long series of changes 

 then initiated. These peculiarities are not found in any ordinary 

 matter, and can only be accounted for on the supposition that some 

 force, property, or power exists which is peculiar and belongs to the 

 matter only while its life lasts. This exerts but a temporary influence 

 on the material particles, which are by it constrained to take up 

 such prearranged positions with respect to one another as must 

 necessarily result in the formation of definite compounds. To this 

 prearranged disposition of the atoms of matter must every character 

 of formed material and every distinctive property of tissue be traced 

 back. This is, indeed, the cause of the varying form, structure, 

 and property of every tissue and every living form in nature. The 

 instant the influence of vital power in restraining the combination 

 of atoms, ceases to be exerted, definite compounds are formed, but 

 these are not living. The matter of which they consist has ceased 

 to live. There are no phenomena occurring in non-living matter 

 in any way comparable with these vital phenomena. Scientific 



