SCIENCE. 



589 



network, a thin section of a very minute portion of the 

 body often showing a difference of network in different 

 persons, e.g., in the thickness of the threads, the size of the 

 meshes, the character of the points of intersection, etc. 

 From the uniformity in the size of the meshes, etc., or 

 from their variability, or from the proportion of corpuscles 

 presenting a normal and abnormal character in their net- 

 work, a good or bad prognosis was deduced by the phy- 

 sician, and even an indication of the progress of disease. 



Prof. E. H. Day remarked on the wonderful character 

 of protoplasm in its wide results in the construction of the 

 most varying textures in the vegetable and animal king- 

 doms. The speaker's observations have brought the 

 protoplasm of cartilage tissue into correspondence with 

 that in the tissues of the sponge, of the plant, and all the 

 lower forms of life. In protoplasm we are brought face 

 to face with the most astonishing substance in nature. 



Mr. J. D. Warner offered objections to the vague views 

 of Virchow on the soul of the cell and its relation to the 

 soul of the individual. 



Dr. Newberry said that, having been educated as a 

 physician, and having studied microscopic anatomy under 

 Dr. Charles Robin, he had followed with great interest 

 the progress of modern research into the ultimate struc- 

 ture of organic tissue, and the discussions of the origin 

 and seat of vitality to which it has given rise ; and he re- 

 garded such investigations as those of Dr. Elsberg as of 

 the highest scientific interest and practical value. If we 

 ever learn the causes of malarial and infectious diseases, 

 or the cure of the morbid growths which are f he scourges 

 of humanity, cancer and tubercle, it will be through such 

 researches. But he thought that much of the discussion 

 which had been excited by these investigations had been 

 irrelevant and confusing, especially that in regard to the 

 seat and nature of life, into which microscopists and 

 chemists had entered with great earnestness and some 

 acrimony, but with no satisfactory result. In this dis- 

 cussion some writers had made the ultimate cell the seat 

 of life, and had glorified and almost deified it. Others 

 claimed that the cells were only portions of a general vital- 

 ized and automatic tissue ; while others still contended 

 that the phenomena of vitality were the mere manifesta- 

 tions of chemical changes taking place in structure other- 

 wise lifeless. 



With none of these views could he sympathize as there 

 had really been no approach to an end in the effort to 

 localize or analyze life. Unless we accept the material- 

 istic theory of spontaneous generation advocated by Dr. 

 Bastian, but rejected by most biologists, we must confess 

 that no more is now known of the origin, nature and seat 

 of life than was known to Aristotle. All we have done 

 is to acquire a better knowledge of the machinery by 

 which the functions of life are accomplished ; most im- 

 portant knowledge truly since it enables us to distinguish 

 between normal and morbid life action in the tissues 

 where this action begins, and promises to point the way 

 for promoting the one, and preventing the other — but 

 limited to the methods in which the life force acts, not 

 reaching the inscrutable and intangible force itself. 



The work done by a microscopic cell is wonderful and 

 incomprehensible to us, yet all cells work not as inde- 

 pendent individuals, but as members of a community, and 

 for a common end. For example, the terminal cell of the 

 fibril of a plant root is a delicate vesicle — the cell in its 

 simplest form, and yet when new born, and having existed 

 but the fraction of a minute , it begins its special work of 

 supplying certain food elements to the plant above ; and 

 this it does with a discrimination which is infallible. 

 Water it absorbs by endosmosis, and when deficient be- 

 gets progeny to send for it. It also appropriates other 

 things that are necessary to the growth of the plant to 

 which it belongs, whatever that be ; if tobacco, an un- 

 usual quantity of potash; if grass, of silica. It always 

 works to a pattern determined by the character of the 

 plant whose general economy it serves, and is controlled 



by the influence which gives to that plant its special 

 and recognizable leaf, flower and fruit, its noxious or 

 alimentary qualities. So in all other parts of the struc- 

 ture the cell is doing its allotted work in a community 

 of which it forms an integral part. It is therefore in no 

 sense an independent individual. Our notions of what 

 constitutes an individual or a community may seem to 

 us quite clear, but they are in fact likely to be some- 

 what confused. Every man recognizes and asserts his 

 own individuality, but we all know that men who live 

 in communities often think and feel as one though many. 

 A great grief crushes all alike, a great danger rallies all 

 in defence. The social insects, ants and bees, retain 

 their corporeal individuality, but are curiously linked 

 together in a common life that makes each but a 

 part of a whole. A tree is universally accepted as an 

 individual, but as all know it may be divided to 

 form an unlimited number of perfect trees which expand 

 this individual into a forest and prolong its life indefinitely. 

 The sponge is said to be a community of amoeboid in- 

 dividuals, but these share a common skeleton, fashioned 

 for the wants of all, and all unite in the general function 

 by which the inhalent and exhalent currents are main- 

 tained, a function on which the life of all depends. In 

 the corals which live in communities we find the common 

 skeleton covered with a vitalized gelatinous integument 

 on which are set here and there the individual polyps. 

 These live to a great degree each for itself ; each throws 

 out its tentacles and forages for its own support, but at 

 the same time it shares a life with its neighbors ; an in- 

 jury clone to one affects those about it, and a misfortune 

 involving a sufficient number destroys the life of the 

 colony. 



The elusive and intangible nature of the life which 

 pervades plant tissue is well shown in the growth and 

 decay of a tree. From a microscopic germ a young 

 Sequoia springs into existence, and for a thousand years 

 or more lives its life. All this time it is inspired by a power 

 which acts in antagonism to the affinities of inorganic 

 chemistry, in opposition to the force of gravitation, and 

 which builds up a mass hundreds of tons in weight, 

 mostly obtained by the breaking up of one of the strong- 

 est bonds in chemistry, that of carbonic acid, appropriat- 

 ing the carbon and setting the oxygen free. Every part 

 of the huge structure is pervaded by this peculiar crea- 

 tive and conservative influence ; and every cell of root 01 

 stem or leaf contributes its part to the harmonious whole. 

 At length the time arrives when this peculiar influence 

 which we call life deserts the structure it has created. 

 The affinities of inorganic chemistry now assert 

 themselves, all the ephemeral fabric is rapidly dis- 

 organized, and soon a heap of ashes — the inorganic mat- 

 ter woven into its composition — alone remains to tell of 

 its existence. Who can tell us what was the nature of 

 the enchantment which created this Aladdin's palace — 

 whence it came, where it dwelt during its sojourn, and 

 whither it has gone ? We may say it resided in the ter- 

 minal root cells; but these are inseparably connected with 

 the leaves hundreds of feet above. The tie that binds 

 them is a vital one; neither could live without the other, 

 nor without the intervening chain which connects them. 



By studying the anatomy of plants and animals, we ob- 

 tain a knowledge of the organs and laws, as we call them, 

 of animal and plant life ; that is, we get a knowledge of 

 the machinery with which the functions of life are ac- 

 complished, a knowledge of the order and manner in 

 which these functions are performed ; but the firimum 

 mobile, the real "power behind the throne," remains 

 as yet unseen and unknown to us. 



Slides of Marine Alg/E. — The Rev. A. B. Hervey, of 

 Taunton, Mass., author of the very beautiful work on " Sea 

 Mosses," will mail to any address for two dollars, a set of 

 six slides showing the characteristic fruit of the six great 

 groups into which Professor Agardh divides the Red Algse. 



