ON THE ORGANIZATION OF LIVING BEINGS.’ 
617 
been subjected to such processes as must inevitably kill whatever germs may 
have been diffused around or throughout them. In the present state of our 
knowledge it may be said, that the Iiarveian maxim, ‘ Omne vivum ex ovo,’ 
is the rule,” &c. &c. 
The reader will perceive that the first quotation, viz. the one 
from the Lecture, is reversed in a twofold manner, if compared with 
the original ; for not only is the paragraph itself so, but the sen- 
tences also which constitute it. 
One more quotation, however, and for the present I have done 
with this Lecture. Page 209, he again says — 
“ How sublimely beautiful is this power that organized bodies possess of 
generating others; thus providing for the perpetual succession of living 
beings all over the earth ! The divine command, ‘ Increase and multiply,’ 
is thereby fulfilled. Every hour, nay, even every minute, ushers into life 
countless myriads of plants and animals to supply in profusion the havoc 
which death is continually making. In addition to the power of propagating 
their species, organized beings also enjoy one of preservation and reproduc- 
tion of parts : thus, solutions of continuity, the loss of particular textures, 
whether resulting from disease or mechanical injury, can be repaired ; and 
parts which have been removed may frequently be restored by a process of 
growth : while it is well known that among some plants and animals, if the 
individual be divided, each segment will become a perfect being. This 
power of reproduction, however, is proportionate to the simplicity of the 
structures, and the repetition of similar parts composing the complete or- 
ganism ; for the more complex the entire being, the greater is the mutual 
dependence of parts ; and consequently the loss of a part will be more likely 
to endanger the well-being of the whole, and cannot, therefore, be renewed 
with the same facility. An example of the power of reproduction with 
which every one is familiar is the healing of wounds and the adhesion of 
divided surfaces.” 
By turning to the “ Physiological Anatomy and Physiology of 
Man,” page 11, we have the preceding almost word for word : 
“ How beautiful is the provision which this power, possessed by organized 
bodies, of generating others, affords for preserving a perpetual succession of 
living beings over the globe ! The command, ‘ Increase and multiply,’ has 
never ceased to be fulfilled from the moment it was uttered. Every hour, 
nay, every minute, brings into being countless myriads of plants and 
animals, to supply in lavish profusion the havoc which death is continually 
making,” &c. * * * * 
/ * * * * 
“ In addition to this power of propagation, organized bodies enjoy one of 
conservation and reproduction. Solutions of continuity, the loss of particu- 
lar textures, whether resulting from injury or from disease, can be repaired. 
Parts that have been removed may be restored by a process of growth in the 
plant or animal ; and in some animals the reproductive power is so energetic, 
that if an individual be divided, each segment will become a perfect being. 
This power of reproduction is greater the more simple the structure of the 
organized body ; the more similar to each other are the constituent parts, 
the more easy will reproduction be. Numerous examples of this power may 
be adduced ; the healing of wounds, the adhesion of divided parts, are fami- 
liar to every one,” &c. 
VOL. XIX. 4 P 
