S6 THE DOCTRINE OF IMMORTALITY 



ascertain the history of the sexual cells, the occurrence of 

 sexual elements in all animals, and the internal processes 

 during fertilization, in order to establish the necessary founda- 

 tion for the modern doctrine of immortality. From the 

 numerous researches made, we draw the safe conclusion that 

 living beings consist of protoplasm and nucleus which have 

 arisen from earher living protoplasm and earlier living nuclei. 

 The animals and plants of today exist only because protoplasm 

 in itself is immortal. Only when protoplasm changes itself 

 or is destroyed by external influences does it die. To us the 

 verse "omne vivum ex vivo" means the immortality of 

 protoplasm. 



This fact procures us a better insight into heredity. It is 

 well known to us all that every living species maintains 

 itself with slight alteration. This phenomenon signifies to 

 us that protoplasm possesses the capacity, when supplied 

 with food material, to produce more protoplasm of the same 

 constitution as itself. We can offer no further explanation 

 of this wonderful capacity. For us it is merely a fact which, 

 however, ofifers us a theory of heredity, namely that the 

 progeny are similar to their parents because they are developed 

 from the same protoplasm. The creation of a new generation 

 appears to us merely as the continuation of the activity and 

 growth of the previous generations. 



There has been no lack of theories of heredity. The best 

 of the older theories in my opinion is that of Darwin, which 

 he termed "pangenesis." He assumed that the cells give 

 off little granules or atoms which circulate freely through 

 the whole body and which, when they are supplied with the 

 proper nutrition, multiply themselves by division and then 

 may later develop into cells. Darwin for the sake of 

 clearness has named these granules "cell gemmules," or 



