1:26 



ORGANS 



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tality; whence Mr. John Hunter, and I believe fome ancient philo- 

 fophers, and the divine Mofes/ afferted, that the blood is aUve ; that 

 is, that it pofTefTes fome degree of organization, or other properties 

 different from thofe of inanimate matter, which are not producible 

 by any chemical procefs, and which ceafe to exiil: along with the life 

 of the animal. Hence for the purpofe of nutrition there is reafbn ta 

 fufpe6l, that two circumflances are neceflary, both dependent upon 

 life, and confequent activity ; thefe are firft an appetency of ths 

 fibrils of the fixed organization, which wants nutrition ; and fe- 

 condly, a propenfity of the fluid molecules exifting in the blood, or 



fecreted from it, to unite with the organ now Simulated into adion. 

 So that nutrition may be faid to be afFe(5led by the embrace or cohe- 

 sion of th« fibrils., which pofiefs nutritive appete:ncies, with the. 



molecules,, which pofTefs nutritive propenfities. 



8. if the phijofopher, who thinks on this fubjed, fhould not be 

 inclined to believe that the whole of the blood is alive ; he can not 

 «afily deny life to that part of it which is fecreted by the organs of 

 generation, and conveys vitality to the new embryon, which it pro- 

 duces. Hence though in the procefs of nutrition the adivity of two 

 kinds of fibrils or molecules may be fufpeded, yet in the procefs of 

 the generation of a new vegetable or animal, there feems great reafou 



G 



O 



O 



believe, that both the combining and combined part 



are en- 



dued with vitality ; that is, with fome degree of organization or oth 



properties not exift 



in inanimate matter, which we be 



& 



denom 



nate fibrils with formative appetencies, and molecules with 

 formative propenfities, as the former may feem to pofiefs a greater 

 degree of organization than the latter. 



And thus it appears, that though nutrition may be conceived to be 

 ..produced by the animated fibrils of an organized part being ftimu- 

 iated into adion by inanimate molecules, which they then embrace, 

 ^nd may thus be popularly compared to the fimple attradions of 



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