286 PROFESSOR LIONEL S. BEALE, P.R.C.P., F.R.S., ON THE 



tree belongs to the living tree and therefore it is living. It is 

 nothing of the sort. The bark is dead while the tree is alive, like 

 our nails and the horns of animals, and so on, and the same with 

 our hair. It is ridiculous to say that the hair is alive as long as it 

 is connected with the head, or else the use of a pair of scissors makes 

 the difference between life and death. No one has defined the 

 difference between life and death ; that has to be done. What I 

 hope is that we may have discussions about this. It is impossible 

 to get on without discussion. Many of us, I am quite sure, are 

 quite ready to answer any question that may be proposed as well as 

 we can, and then those present will be able to judge for themselves 

 whether our answer is sufficient or not. We shall not get much 

 further with this, although there has been a wonderful advance 

 during the last month, since May 2nd, when Lord Kelvin's paper 

 was read, and now on June 2nd we get very satisfactory information 

 that an advance has been made. 



The Secretary. — Yes, I think there has been a movement in 

 the direction of belief in an almighty governing and guiding 

 Power. 



Professor Be ale. — Very strongly, and all I regret is that the 

 proprietors and editor of The Times were not present just to hear 

 what we had to say. 



Mr. Martin Eouse. — I should like to ask Professor Beale 

 whether he has observed that the living particles in a particular 

 portion of an animal increase in number and size as the animal 

 continues to grow ? 



Professor Beale. — Yes, during the early period of life. The fact 

 is life goes on and out in the lower animals much more than in the 

 higher. 



Mr. Eouse. — May I take it when you say that living matter is 

 not- under the influence of gravitation you mean the life particles 

 are not, because the animal taken as a whole of course is, but the 

 living particles resist gravitation ? 



Professor Beale. — Yes, but the animal's structure is dead. 



Mr. Rouse. — Might the permanent structure then cease to 

 live ? 



Professor Beale. — Yes ; it is not only the external parts of our 

 body, such as the outer layers of the cuticle, the hair and the 

 grea,ter part of the teeth, that are dead, but the fibrous tissue is 



