CONTINUITY OF VITAL PROCESSES 29 



He of course regarded protoplasm as essential to 

 life. This, however, although the substance of which 

 all living matter that has survived upon our planet 

 is composed, cannot be said to have been essential to 

 such life as has not survived. It may be, and no 

 doubt is, the most efficient substance for propagating 

 the processes of vitality : but that it really is 

 essential to vitality other than that which has 

 survived and which we find naturally existing 

 around us is an assumption for which there is no 

 logical foundation. If the processes we call vital 

 can be prepared without protoplasm in bodies 

 which would otherwise be entitled to be called 

 living, no course would be open to us but to admit 

 that protoplasm is not essential to such simpler 

 types of life. From our investigation it appears 

 that such types are highly unstable and therefore 

 could not possibly have survived. 



The same point may be raised with regard to the 

 part played by water and temperature. Supposing 

 that an organism were to be found which could 

 live and live only at very high temperatures. 

 Would that prevent us, strictly speaking, from 

 regarding them as living things ? 



So also as regards the effect of moisture. Eadiobes 

 are soluble in water at temperatures of about 25° C, 

 whereas some bacteria will resist for some minutes a 

 temperature of 100° C. 



It therefore stands to reason that the former 

 should not have been able to survive at high 

 temperatures or even that of ordinary Summer. 



