ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE. 



223 



of the protecting substance tlum is actually necessary can hardly 

 be said to be ' chemical.' 



"In fact, we are well entitled to say that we have reached here 

 the very heart of life and of biology. If nevertheless we do 

 not call the sum of our facts a real j)roof of vitalism, it is only 

 because we feel unable to formulate the analysis of what 

 happens in such a manner as to make a machine as the basis of 

 all reactions absolutely unimaginable and unthinkable." 



For my part I am convinced that the study of the Origin of 

 Life must in future be very closely connected and concerned 

 with these adaptive processes that can only be carried on with 

 any promise of success in organisms whose tissues react to the 

 various nutritive, fermentative, and toxic proteids, and in 

 reacting produce antibodies in great variety, but of high 

 specificity. 



In these days of great specialisation, necessary owing to the 

 enormous development of the various branches of scientific 

 work and investigation, few men have time to give, or training, 

 to enable them to carry on experiments involving investigations 

 of the most delicate and complicated nature in many branches 

 of science. Where men have attempted this almost impos- 

 sible task, their expertness and wide knowledge of their own 

 special subject have rendered them impatient of their own 

 ignorance — though they will not always admit this — in other 

 branches of research. Not many years ago a physicist of some 

 standing and experience applied to me for a place in our laboratory, 

 where he wished to carry out a series of experiments with radium. 

 He was convinced that in radium he had a substance the 

 emanations from ^vhich had the power of vitalising matter. 

 After a chat with him, I advised him to study the elements of 

 bacteriology, and suggested that he should attend the class 

 of elementary bacteriology, in order to familiarize himself with 

 the necessary details of work and to be able to take the neces- 

 sary precautions against contamination. He attended one or 

 two lectures and a similar number of meetings of the practical 

 class. What was my surprise and amusement to find, a month 

 later, that this was the extent of his condescension. He had 

 commenced his work, and had been observed removing the cotton- 

 wool from the test-tubes in which was the material supposed to 

 be protected from contamination from without, and picking out, 

 with his stylographic pen, threads of cotton-wool that appeared 

 to be interfering with his observations ! This, of course, is an 

 extreme case. 



Some time there will arise amongst us a great philosopher 



