OF THE VITAL PHENOMENA. 
3 
language of the new experiments ; Galvani did not receive any 
satisfaction, he died without having found any recognition. 
And when Du Bois Reymond proved in the year 1843 the cor¬ 
rectness of Galvanïs views of the presence of electrical currents 
in animals, nevertheless no voice was raised in favour of the 
theory that electricity is the “ primurn movens ” of all the vital 
phenomena. And indeed the electrical phenomena observed are 
just like the heat secondary actions, but not the first cause 
of life. 
Since the middle of last century another view has gained 
much foothold—, a view that was even defended by Liebig —, the 
theory that organisms are ruled by quite a specific force, different 
from any other, inscrutable to men, and supernatural : this force 
was called vital force. Justus Liebig said : “ the cause of vital 
force is not chemical force, not electricity, not magnetism ; it is 
a force that possesses the most general qualities of all causes 
of motion, of variation of form and qualities of matter, and a 
specific force,” because it produces effects like no other force.” 
“The laws of life and every thing disturbing, promoting, or 
varying them can doubtless be investigated, but without ever 
knowing what life really is.” Even in the third edition of this 
work 1 ), published 1846, we find upon the first page: “in the 
animal egg, in the plant-seed is recognizable a remarkable 
activity, a cause of increase in substance, a compensation of loss, 
a force in the state of rest. this force we call vital force.” 
From page 225 the following characteristic passage may be 
quoted : “ another fundamental error entertained by physiologists 
is, that physical or chemical forces alone or in combination with 
anatomy could suffice to explain the vital phenomena.” 
This reactionary movement of Liebig was principally due to 
the opposition to the great and fervent hopes created by the 
first synthesis of an organic compound, namely that of urea by 
Woehler in the year 1828. Previous to this year it was often 
asserted that organic substances could only be formed by “vital 
1) Die organ. Chem. in ihrer Anwendung auf Physiol, und Pathol., Braun¬ 
schweig 1842 p. 7 and p. 237. These few quotations will clearly show how erroneous 
the opinion is, that Liebig was the first, who combated the hypothesis of the 
supernatural vital force, an opinion, which we find in some german textbooks of 
physiological chemistry. See also Chem. Briefe of 1858. Chapt. 23. 
