ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 103 



great interest, and what follows ought to command earnest at- 

 tention besides : — 



"Examine under the microscope a drop of blood freshly taken 

 from the human subject, or from any of the higher animals. It 

 is seen to be composed of a multitude of red corpuscles, swim- 

 ming in a nearly colourless liquid, and along with these, but in 

 much smaller numbers, somewhat larger colourless corpuscles. 

 The red corpuscles are modified cells, while the colourless corpus- 

 cles are cells still retaining their typical form and properties. 

 These last are little masses of protoplasm, each enveloping a cen- 

 tral nucleus. Watch them. They will be seen to change their 

 shape. They will project and withdraw pseudopodia, and creep 

 about like an amoeba. But more than this, like an amoeba, they 

 will take in solid matter as nutriment. They may be fed with 

 coloured food, which will then be seen to have accumulated in 

 the interior of their soft transparent protoplasm ; and, in some 

 cases the colourless blood corpuscles have actually been seen to 

 devour their more diminutive companions the red ones." 



All this is very wondeiful, and to many whose opportunities 

 of microscopic observation are rare must appear entirely new. 

 They might have been prepared for the modified cell of the red 

 corpuscle, but the protoplasmic — the living condition of the white 

 — feeding as it were, upon itself, has only been revealed by the 

 highest powers of the microscope. We have it on Supreme 

 authority as to the animal, that " the blood is the life thereof," 

 but whoever could have supposed that this divine truth would 

 be proved to the senses after this manner. I should imagine that 

 the knowledge is of the highest importance. Our M. D.'s are 

 called upon now to adjust the equilibrium between the red and 

 white corpuscles — to lessen or increase the cannibal instincts of 

 the white, and so to cleanse the impurities that interfere with a 

 healthy circulation, and which are the fruitful generators of 

 disease. 



The instances quoted illustrate the phenomena of the proto- 

 plasmic cell, which is the basis of the physical life in animals. 

 But there are other wonders. It is precisely the same in the 

 vegetable kingdom. The President proceeds to give a number 

 of examples to show that the primary cell in plants is identical 

 with that in animals, and undistino-uishable from it. " The 

 spores wdiich swim about in the field of the microscrope, driven 

 by vibrating cilia, and avoiding collision with obstacles in their 

 way, behave exactly like the amoeba." Dr. Fraser may tell you 

 that this motion and careful avoidance of obstacles is due to 



