'^ 



Z/pj;_ 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



33 



^°^^' Probable;, 



favourite assumption, as to its sole origin under the 



^ntinuall ' influence of pre-existing protoplasm. Thus alone are 



leous 



lie 



such 

 ities 



they enabled to deny what others believe to be the 

 *^^^^fK| proper interpretation of known facts j thus will they 

 ^^i^: reject the conclusion that there is a natural tendency 

 P05sibili; amongst certain kinds of molecules to fall into com- 

 that biol binations and rearrangements which terminate in the 



matter 



/ 



natter being | formation of ' living ' matter. 



wliich 



are nai; 



ther 



physical t 



So much may be said concerning the origin of specks 



1 n aqueous soli: 



as chlorine is- of living matter in the flasks containing organic com- 

 ; influence of' pounds. And with reference to those in v/hich a small 

 1 tendency to portion of organic matter — cheese, for instance — has 



been added to a saline solution containing the elements 

 necessary for the nutrition of the simplest living things, 

 the origin of those that have been found may perhaps 

 have been due to rearrangements which took place 

 amongst the elements of the added organic matter ; or 

 else the molecular changes which it initiates may have 



look at the 

 unconscious. 



rfully iniK 



t 



)Owe 



»rt of their belt g^gj^gj ^^ induce life-giving combinations amongst 

 lo-lsts inthep'|-[^g disturbed elements of the saline substances them- 

 plasm with* selves 1. The living specks thus initiated would sub- 

 time that sequently grow and multiply at the expense of the 

 vital force- ' elements of the saline substances, just as organisms do 

 ., Ijstic til' which are purposely added to such solutions. 



) 



ime 



\ 



d VI 



fhey 



shut 



tiiei' 



all the ev 



With reference, on the other hand, to those saline 

 fluids in which no organic matter had been purposely 



;a 



neous 



Q^ 



ciif* addedj but in which some may have existed in the form 



cr 



living 



ma 



tte') 



a 



belief 



\r 



^ Whenever 

 VOL. 11. 



D 



