132 CELL THEORIES. 
ascertained facts have yet been adduced in favour 
of the view that any living structure whatever can 
influence matter at a distance from it, so as to alter 
its properties or composition, or in support of the 
notion that cell-wall, cell-contents, or intercellular 
substance possess any metabolic power whatever.” 
And the way he gets over this difficulty in the case 
of hepatic cells is most ingenious, namely, by re- 
presenting that the outer part of each corpuscle is 
no longer vital, but converted into formed material 
of a soft description, becoming changed into bili- 
ary constituents, albuminoid and amyloid matters. 
Other researches, however, come to our rescue here. 
There is nothing more certain than the power 
which Chrzonszczewsky showed hepatic corpuscles 
to possess of taking up sulpho-indigotate of soda 
from the blood and passing it on into the gall-ducts. 
Here, then, is an indubitable instance of a living 
structure influencing matter external to it. And 
where, after all, is the unaccustomed marvel in this, 
when it is recollected that all the attractions of dead 
matter are exercised by molecules or masses, as the 
case may be, on others external to themselves, and 
that in the case of gravitation there is no limit to 
the distance which may be between the masses 
provided that they are sufficiently large ? 
Looking at things from my point of view, I am 
