WHY VVK DIE. 



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When an animal possesses a large number of cells these become 

 diffdrentiated and grouped into tissues, such as skin or muscle, 

 s,nd these tissues are again co-ordinated to form organs, such as 

 the heart. 



The more highly developed the cell, the more delicate it is, 

 and the more prone to dissolution it becomes. 



All animal cells may roughly be said to require inorganic and 

 organic matter for their existence and growth. The inorganic 

 matters are represented by water, salts, and some elements 

 including oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and sulphur. 

 The organic matters chiefly consist of albumins, such as are 

 found in vegetable and animal tissues, used as foods. 



A portion of a highly organized animal body may be separated 

 from the rest and its cells kept alive for some time. Such a 

 circumstance may be indicated by the movements of the excised 

 heart of a frog, by the reflex action of the foot of a frog scratching 

 the irritated side of its body after the removal of its head and 

 therefore brain, or the contraction of muscles in an amputated 

 human limb. 



The only reliable sign of death is decomposition, which is 

 the process of the return of the once living and highly developed 

 animal cell to its constituent elements. It will now be seen 

 that death, and its natural consequence dissolution, is beneficial. 

 Therefore death of human beings is necessary in order that others 

 may live ; for had no human being died since Adam and Eve 

 appeared, the earth would have become so populated by repro- 

 duction that an absolute absence of food would have occurred 

 and universal death would have resulted. 



The Causes of Death. 



Physical death may be brought about in one of three ways, 

 viz. : — 



1. Accident. 



2. Simple wearing out. 



3. Action of micro-organisms. 



Not infrequently two of these may be combined. 



Death by Accident. 



The term " accident " is here used in its widest sense. In 

 many instances the circumstances which lead to a human being's 

 death are called accidental when in reality they are due to gross 



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