^"^4 Philosophy of Botany. 



'albtimen enter preferably into the masses of plasma, and by 

 intussusception of micellse of albumen cause growth. Here 

 life exists in its simplest form." 



Spontaneous generation presupposes the origin of plasma- 

 micellfB from molecules, hence cannot be brought about by 

 sqlutions from albumens or peptones, since these are micellar 

 solutions. Life presupposes the intussusception of plasma- 

 micellas; hence it ceases as soon as the arrangement of micel- 

 lae is so far disordered by injui^ous influences as to render 

 that process of growth impossible. The resulting organism 

 must be perfectly simple, a mass of plasma with micellae as yet 

 tmarranged, because any organization without a preceding 

 •orgahizing activity is inconceivable. For this reason known 

 organisms cannot have originated spontaneously; a kingdom 

 of simpler things must have preceded them. (Probien — the 

 suborganic kingdom.) 



Haeckel (" Nattirliche Schopfungs-Geschichte," Vol. II., 

 pages 430-431) says: " 1 believe, with Nageli, it is very prob- 

 able that the like acts of spontaneous generation have repeated 

 themselves very often, invariably when the necessary condi- 

 tions emerged in the inorganic nature. They rnay even occur 

 now, daily, without our being able to observe them directly 

 with our inadequate methods of research. We are entirely 

 -unacquainted with those conditions; and the spontaneous orig- 

 ination of minute probionts, of minute plasson-granules, which 

 -elude discovery even with the highest magnifying powers, may 

 -fail to be demonstrable even amid the best chances. In refer- 

 ■ence to the contemporary moners we have the choice between 

 the following conclusions: Either they descend, indeed, 

 •directly from the first originated (or created) oldest moners, 

 and then they must have propagated and preserved them- 

 selves, since many millions of years in the original form of 

 minute, simple, plasma corpuscles, or the moners of the pres- 

 ent day have come into existence in the course of the organic 

 evolution of the earth, by repeated acts of spontaneous gener- 

 ation, and then there is no physical obstacle imaginable, why 

 it should not be repeated infinitely often." 



Pending this question the reflection is forced upon us that 

 in those immemorial preaeval times, terrestrial conditions ex- 



