UNSEEN LIFE OF OUR WORLD AND OF LIVING GROWTH. 119 



Lucretius, that we and all living things were but matter, 

 variously modified," by physical action " sui generis,'' and that 

 all livincr things were machiues, workino; for a limited time, and 

 like tlie machinery made by man, doomed from the first to 

 deteriorate and wear out, and at last to be cast away. 



Though the structure of tissues and organs may appear 

 complete, and on examination after death, nothing more than 

 the tissue can be discovered by dissection and ordinary investi- 

 gation, it must be borne in mind that no eye could see, or ear 

 hear, no tongue could feel or taste, no structure in the brain 

 could take part in tliinking, understanding and speaking, unless 

 the minute living particles of Bioplasm or living matter 

 connected with the several tissues, were intact, alive and 

 active — living particles, in the absence of which, no tissues 

 could have been formed or could act, or be preserved in a 

 healthy state. 



Not one of the highly skilled confident advocates of physical 

 doctrines of life, has yet succeeded in explaining according to 

 Physics or Chemistry, the difference between one particle of 

 matter which is alive, and the very same matter when life has 

 ceased, nor has any chemist or physicist l>een able to tell us 

 why a living particle once dead, has never been resuscitated or 

 caused to live again by any physical or chemical treatment, or 

 its life been restored from the " universal energy." 



More than fifty years have passed, since, by repeated obser- 

 vations of the living matter of plants and animals, and the 

 careful study with very high magnifying powers of the move- 

 ments of the living matter of the Amoeba, and especially that 

 of very young Amceke, colourless blood corpuscles or leucocytes, 

 living mucus and pus corpuscles of man, and some animals, and 

 many other living growing particles in health and disease, 

 was rendered certain that vital movements of living matter, were 

 in their nature distinct from all movements of non-living 

 matter. As already explained, the formation of all tissue- 

 structures and organs in living nature, also depends on such 

 particles of living matter or Bioplasm. The life-power being 

 in its nature distinct from all material properties, forces or 

 molecular phenomena, are inexplicable by any physical laws, or 

 material properties yet discovered. In " Life Theories and 

 Religious Thought," and many other works and memoirs 

 published between 1860-80, I gave reasons for my belief in 

 Vital Poiuer in all living matter of our life world, from the 

 lowest simplest living particle in nature, to that which is 

 concerned in reasoning and in other mental processes by which 



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