i88i.j 
Life and its Basis. 
77 
The special subject before us, however, at present, is life, 
as possessed by man. No one can doubt that in all its main 
features our corporeal life is identical with that of the 
lower animals, and that it is subject essentially to the same 
conditions. And as in their case, so in that of the human 
organism, I conceive it is absolutely necessary to maintain 
the distinction between the vitality of th ^bioplast, whether con- 
nected with the more solid tissues, or floating in the fluids of 
the body, and the life of the whole organism. It is to this 
latter state that we refer when we speak of 4 life and death ’ 
as regards any individual human being. The necessity of 
this distinction will be apparent, when we consider the ex- 
periments which have been made with such success, in trans- 
fusing a part of the living blood of one man into the veins of 
another, who by disease or loss of blood, was in danger of 
dying. No one can imagine that the blood corpuscles thus 
introduced into the failing body of the one person, transported 
any part of the 4 anima ’ of the other into his body. If we 
regard, as we must do, the living being, or 4 anima,’ as one 
and indiscerptible, the idea of such a transfer, which leaves 
the person who parts with his blood, in full possession 
of life and soul, is entirely inadmissible. It follows, there- 
fore, that whatever connexion may exist between the two 
kinds of life, they cannot properly be called identical. The 
same inference is to be drawn from the faCt before alluded to 
in regard to animals, that the cessation of vitality in the 
organs of the body ( e.g . the contractility of the muscular 
fibre), is not coincident with the departure of the aggregate 
life of the system. On the other hand, the corpus- 
cular life may cease, at least partially, in almost any part 
of the body, while the union of the soul continues intaCt. 
It is as impossible to say what amount of corpuscular 
vitality is adequate to maintain this union between soul and 
body, as it is to describe the nature of that union. It may 
differ, not only in every animal species, but in every individual, 
and with every period of life. But the faCt of some mutual 
dependence is obvious. The former state is probably of the 
same nature as that which we see manifested in vegetation, 
and which predominates in the 4 Protista the direct acting 
cause of which is, according to the present theory, the 
Supreme Will of the Deity. 
But the life or living state of the whole human body is the 
union of the 4 anima’ with the corporeal organism. I sup- 
pose this 4 anima,’ though of the same order of being as 
those of the brutes, yet to constitute a distinct class , endowed 
with far higher prerogatives and capacities, and destined by 
