Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xliii. (1899), No. \%, 



XII. On a Biological Aspect of Cancer. 



By F. J. Faraday, F.L.S. 



Read April iiih, 7'eceived June 6th, i8gg. 



By the medical man and the general public disease 

 is naturally regarded as an influence for the destruction of 

 life. To the biologist or, to use even a wider term, to the 

 philosopher who is fascinated by the deeper problems of 

 nature whether relating to inorganic, organic, or organised 

 matter, disease presents itself as a direction or evolution 

 of vital force influenced by and influencing the environment. 

 " Dead aerobics " Pasteur replied to Liebig, " become the 

 prey of new aerobies of different species or of their own 

 species." From this point of view it is at least convenient 

 to provisionally assume the existence of Bufifon's living 

 molecules, whether we call them granulations or cells, the 

 blastema of Robin, or the microzyma of Bechamp. We 

 may conceive that, just as the elementary inorganic atoms 

 or molecules have had impressed upon them by the 

 Creator particular physical properties, combining pro- 

 portions and resulting characters, so the living molecule is 

 endowed with the special and equally permanent attribute 

 of vitality. The chemist and the physicist find an 

 inorganic molecule without its special properties unthink- 

 able, and we may at least imagine a living molecule 

 equally inseparable from its special properties. Just 

 as the display or development of the potential powers of 

 the inorganic molecule are largely dependent on the 

 solution in which it is immersed, or the physical conditions 

 to which it is exposed, so the living molecule may be said 



September 8th, i8gg. 



