CONTINUITY OF VITAL PROCESSES 35 



forms, the nature of life in its higher and even its 

 highest manifestations may be realised more clearly 

 and more vividly than by any other means that Nature 

 or experiment has yet disclosed. To us it merely 

 shows the continuity of vital actions, as of all per- 

 formances that constitute the phenomena of Nature 

 generally. To others they may seem repulsive, even 

 should they be admitted to be true ; whilst which- 

 ever way we look at it we shall find that the method 

 of thus viewing the matter is both useful and inspiring. 



As we say, the familiar notion of life amongst the 

 orthodox to-day is that it is essentially a process of 

 metabolism in proteids alone. But our answer is, 

 that is true, undoubtedly true, of such types as have 

 survived, and not necessarily so of such types which 

 we should look for. 



Many biologists pure and simple have fallen into a 

 pitfall in their conception of the simplest life much in 

 the same way as the chemist has done in his idea of 

 the atom or the minutest particle of matter. That 

 the chemical atom is the smallest thing which takes 

 part in chemical reactions may be quite true ; that it 

 is the smallest particle of matter is untrue. That the 

 " cell" of Virchowis that smallest aggregate of living 

 matter which naturally and of its own accord has 

 survived and still manifests the properties of living 

 matter may be quite true ; that it is the smallest 

 aggregate of matter which can under any circum- 

 stances manifest vitality is, as we venture to think, 

 when viewed from a broader standpoint, without any 

 scientific foundation. 



D 2 



