191 
Now, Kant was a profound thinker, and Muller no mean 
physiologist ; but all the truth they enunciated is to be set 
aside for the sake of an ill-conceived and weakly-supported 
cell theory , which is even now in its decadence.* It is 
virtually given up even by Huxley himself in this his explana- 
tion, for his millions of “ ^wasi-independent cells ” would not 
form themselves even into the body of a flea unless “ domi- 
nated ’’ — by what? “A certain harmony”! But does not 
this explanation range very closely on nonsense ? Is it not, 
at the best, according to the old adage, ohscurum per 
obscurius ? But I proceed, “ or by the superaddition of 
a controlling apparatus such as a nervous system.” But, in 
the first place, who superadds ? This is work for Divine 
prescience to foresee and for an Almighty hand to execute ; 
all which supposition is impossible to Agnosticism. Perhaps 
he means to develope ’’ but this will not do ; for it 
would imply that these quasi entities united themselves 
by some kind of inconceivable Caucus to devise means of 
“ dominating ” themselves, and then to execute (0 most 
admirable cells !) the creation of a nervous system ! and that 
as a controlling apparatus ! ! 
I do not, for a moment, think that Dr. Huxley would have 
written this for the Royal Society ; but he no doubt appreciates 
correctly the mental calibre of his numerous readers among 
the public at large. 
It is with a salutary dread of the application of the proverb 
ne sutor ultra crepidam, that I continue my criticism on the 
remaining medical statement , — “ The cell lives for its own sake, 
as well as for the sake of the whole organism; and the cells 
which float in the blood, live at its expense, and profoundly 
modify it, are almost as much independent organisms as the 
tor nice which float in beer wort.” 
Now, it so happens that an eminent physician and P.R.S. 
showed me, under the microscope, these said corpuscles in 
unusual abundance in the blood of a relative suffering pro- 
bably from suppressed ague. This state of things clearly 
enough pre-indicated the fatal termination. 
Further, I turn to a work sent me by the author, f who has 
made special researches on the subject, in which he shows, as 
* Huxley is obliged to say that “ Schwann burdened his enunciation of 
the cell theory with two false suppositions,” &c‘. — See p. 86. 
t Experimente Untersuchungen uber das Wesen der Chininwirkung. Von 
D. C. Binz, Berlin. 
