Annual Address by the President. 
9 
future and all past occurrences in the organic, as well as in the inorganic 
world. 
But biologists, though theoretically convinced of the all efficiency of 
atomic mechanics, under whose sway the science of physical nature had 
made such astonishing progress, nevertheless proceeded in their own 
practical work to attack the essential vital problems from a more directly 
attainable standpoint. They endeavored to explain vital phenomena 
from what can be actually perceived as constituting organic beings, and 
as taking place during their functional activities. 
And here the microscope proved to be the principal revealing instru- 
ment. With its aid it was discovered that all organic beings, save the 
very lowest, appear to be composed of a vast number of distinct elemen- 
tary units, called cells ; and that, moreover, these multitudinous cells are 
the olfspring of a single so-called germ-cell. For the germ-cell is seen 
to divide into two daughter-cells. These again divide, and so on and on, 
until by means of such successive self-divisions the vast cell-aggregate 
is formed which constitutes what are called multicellular organisms. 
Such complex organisms are, consequently, held to be composed of 
myriads of aggregated elementary, autonomous beings. 
This being the case, it is clear that all vital efficiencies must then ex- 
clusively reside in these separate cellular beings. And this, in fact, has 
been the generally accepted view, until new researches have lately been 
beginning to cast serious doubts upon its correctness. 
In order, however, to harmonize the nature of the cellular beings with 
the principles of atomic mechanics, they are hypothetically conceived as 
made up of organic molecules, and these again made up of ultimate 
atoms somehow mechanically energized. Under the impression of the 
correctness of these biological interpretations and suppositions it was 
believed by investigators that they were explaining organization and 
vitality in strict accordance with mechanical principles, without having 
to assume in addition any hyperphysical, exclusively vital agencies. In 
this they strangely deceived themselves. For, first of all, it is utterly in- 
comprehensible how, under purely mechanical laws, a host of elementary, 
autonomous beings can aggregate themselves so aimfully as to form a 
definitely predetermined, intricately constituted organism, and can then, 
moreover, so systematically cooperate as conjointly to actuate its multi- 
fold interdependent functions. Here, if the cell-theory is accepted, some 
hyperphysical, highly intelligent and efficient agent has necessarily to be 
evoked as directing so prodigious an achievement. Nevermore can such 
intelligence and efficiency reside scattered in myriads of elementary 
beings. This consideration alone renders obvious the incompetency of a 
