26 BIOLOGY. [book i. 



chemical composition, tlie two classes of substances are manifestly 

 identical. Consequently, there is no radical difference between 

 the organic substances of the vegetal kingdom and those of the 

 animal world. Nevertheless these are notable dissimilarities ; 

 they bear on the relative quantity of the ternary compounds 

 non-azotised, and the quaternary compounds azotised, in both 

 the realms of Nature. In effect, the albuminoidal substances 

 which constitute the chief part of any veritable animal organism 

 are from the quantitative point of view little more than 

 accessories. The great. mass of every true plant is especially 

 constituted by the non-azotised carburetted substances. Azote, 

 though forming an ^ssential element of the intracellular vegetal 

 protaplasm and of the alkaloids, represents often in weight less 

 than a hundredth of the dry matters : rarely the pro_portion rises 

 to three hundredths. To sum up, the vegetal kingdom -is, 

 quantitatively considered, the kingdom of ternary carburetted 

 substances, whUe the animal kingdom is that of carburetted 

 substances >zotised.flii_.quatemary. Consequently there is in 

 the animal world a greater degree of chemical complexity and 

 instability, that is to say, a superior vital activity. 



Nevertheless, there is no radical difference. We must hence- 

 forth reject that idea of complete antagonism between the two 

 kingdoms, which has so long prevailed in science. We must no 

 longer consider every plant as an apparatus of reduction specially 

 charged to form, all in a lump, at the expense of the mineral 

 world, ternary and quaternary compounds for the nourishment of 

 animals. We must cease to see in every animal an apparatus of 

 combustion whose mission is to destroy those compounds with- 

 out being able to form any. CI. Bernard has demonstrated that 

 the cells of the liver fabricate at the expense of the blood an 

 amylaceovis matter possessing, according to the analysis of 

 M. Pelouze, the same composition as vegetal starch, and, like it, 

 transforming itself into sugar. Finally, M. Eouget has foimd 

 this amylaceous matter, glycogen or zooamyline, in the muscular 

 tissue, in the lung, in the cells of the liver, in the placenta, in 



