LIFE IN THE PAST 161 
the fruit flavors. These are due to the presence of 
ethereal oils in the plant, and their exact counter- 
parts can now be produced in the laboratory, and can 
serve every purpose of the fruit flavor itself. Alcohol 
has been produced artificially, and alcohols, which na- 
ture never dreamed of making, so far as we can tell, 
but which are made on her plan, are manufactured by 
the chemist. Last of all, sugar has recently been 
built up by the chemist, though the method at present 
is sO expensive that it cannot possibly compete with 
the production of the commodity from the cane and 
the beet. As in the case of alcohol, all the sugars that 
nature makes can now be made artificially, and others 
of the same general plan which she seems not to have 
as yet devised can be produced within the laboratory. 
Attempts have been made to manufacture proteids, 
but these have as yet eluded the efforts of the chemist. 
He is beginning, however, to come nearer understand- 
ing their composition, and when he once clearly com- 
prehends that he may be able to reproduce them. 
One of the German chemists is convinced that the 
nuclein in the nucleus of the cell is not a very compli- 
cated compound. Under such conditions it is not a 
matter of surprise that the physiological chemist 
should be constantly dreaming that he may at some 
time produce living matter in the laboratory. To the 
ordinary mind it scarcely seems possible. We are so 
