THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



8 1. 



III. 



VLS 



AND OF 



LO^ 



was more reason than there is at present for the belief 

 that the forces in living things are altogether peculiar, 



r 



because it appeared that certain compounds of carbon 

 with other elements^ known as organic substances^ were 

 capable of being produced only within these laboratories 

 of nature.- A department of Inorganic chemistry has 

 hitherto existed^ separated quite definitely from another 

 known as that of Organic chemistry. In the former 

 were included all those elements and their compounds 



iiorganic matter. !: which were naturally met with amongst, and which 



^anizahU xsm.\ made up the not-living ' constituents of our globe, 



-0 01 dmsioEii: whilst under the latter department were ranged those 



►nginal EvoMocoF , i ., • ^ - .■ i • i 



volution of \m' compounds and their derivatives which were sup- 

 ers 'being aplastic: posed to exist only in plants and animals. The 



of insensible into i 

 mations. ImpoKi: 



ants. 



ContiDual ^' 

 of Grofftl. 



so-called organic compounds were for a long time 

 regarded as altogether peculiar ; not as regards com- 

 position — for they were known to be composed of 



^lest living things. ' precisely the same elements as were most abundant 



rher Mimak- ^- in the 



inorganic 



world— but rather in point of 



. a Organisms. ^ 



Organic Y.4f_ 



KatureofiE* 



als. 



o Absolute 



COBH^ 



to 



)\X\ 



the SCI 

 iiaing ^P 



ieflt*' 



m 



1 



the a 



idof"" 



origin. They were the products only of living things : 

 had been produced under the influence of *^ vital' forces. 

 The action of physical forces in the world without was 

 deemed inadequate to give rise to such combinations, 

 and therefore they were separated by a hard and fast 

 line from all other compounds with which the chemist 

 manipulated. Thus the popular belief of the time 



' lie 



at t'"^ 



concerning Life was fostered; 



and an argument for 



thcr 







the special and peculiar nature of the <^ vital forces,' 



based on the supposed fact that 



could 



at least, be 



1 a 



like^ 



^ 



VOL. I. 



G 



