The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-11-13

The Doctor said he was doubtful if Iron be at all
an element of the Blood las is usually supposed The
lowing are imponderable elements, to wit, Electro
city, Magnetism, Calorc, and Light. And to these
tour, Doctor Nelson proposed, with some difhdence,
to add fifth, which Is Life. On this point he OBJ
served that one OF these four imponderabe ele-
ments can be discerned or known, except as 1t is
arrested by some material substance. II they exist
separate from matter still they cannotbe seen, or
We can, for instance, look through beam Oflight,
without being able to see it. The open space oil
heaven Is full of light, both by night and BY day
by the the stars. The same is true of Elec-
trlclty No change can take place IN matter with
out electricity being geneYated, or evolved; and 1t
may be detected even in NE disolvng OF sugar IN Wa
ter, If the eectrometer be delicate enough. These
tour elements for long time ruled the earth
long before the fifth element, life, was created
Whether life be distinct element, capable Of
union and separation from matter and consequently
OF an independent existence, like the four lmpon-
derable or ncoercible elements, electricity, light,
calorlc, and magnetism, or is only condition to
which matter is sometimes subject, shall not stop
to contest for, on the one hand, IT we consider
life to be only"a condition" OF matter, or pecu-
liar state of being of matter, we shall find ourselves
puzzled at each step We take in the pursuit OF ply
siology, but if we contemplate the phenomena
which take place IN living matter. as the effect OF
an adventurous element acting on it-that is, look
upon life substance added to matter, as we look
upon light, caloric electricity and magnetism in re-
gard to matter, we shall be able to tormuze ply
slology with some OF that certainty with which phv-
sicians formullze other physical phenomenon. BY
possessing comprehensive idea, as it were, tan
gble one, regarding life, we able to
slbly on the phenomena which living matter mani
tests, and thus discard whole libraries of meta
physical physiology, which is the soul, the essence
the basis OF all medical discrepancies, and the bane
OF medical practice. Captious persons, and such
as welded to their education, may say, " Be-
fore you assert that life is distinct element, ac-
hla 10 and arahla from tor oh
some" The reply is easy, and is TO be found In the
analogies which belong TO the four admitted i'm
ponderabe elements. II this do not satisfy the stub
born, they can accept the assertion as they would
any hypothesis in the abse Of fact, and it
theory. In this way they may get rid OF that which
is offensive TO them, and at the same time acquire
possession Of instrument wherewilh to reason sa-
tisactorily. The early promulgation of the theory
of g the Vacuum" though denounced as a damna.
BILE heresy, accepted by many of the faithful,
because it afforded them more easy mode of treat
ing the subject of pneumatics than any other. The
same as regarded the theory of attraction. Every
body knew, long before the birth of Newton, when
body lost its support it fell to the earth but
one was able to reconcile all the phenomena at
tendant upon the descent OF the body until he said
that was due to the attraction of the earth-hat
the apple drawn downfall if there was no
power to draw it down, it would remain where 1t
was, though unsupported Now he could not show
the form of this power but once that the hypothe
this was admitted, it became easy to reason upon
what were its laws, and TO calculate their force with
exactitude II the credit be given to the hypo
thesis that life has independent existence, II will
afford facihtiesn the study Of physiology, which we
shall seek for In vain elsewhere As Tar as our OBJ
servation extends, know that all finite things are
incapable of change by themselves, and when they
are altered even in appearance only, tins alteration
is the effect CT something else which has acted on
the body, or ceased TO act on It, therefore, When
matter assumes living state, or loses that sta'e IL
has necessarily received OF lost something different
from itself. We must admit then-we knoW-that
there is such an element life; and That, like the
other imponderables, light, calonc, and electricity
il has two states Of existence the pdsce and the dc
tire. The passive state must be believed as con-
SEQUENCE of the active state, for this is subject to
case and when the active state of a BODY ceases
that power which gave 1t activity, having departed
from its abode, must find one elsewhere; for we
know by comparison tha' what is will continue 10
be, for nothing can be destroyed; therefore. lite
has two states OF existence. 1s-the passive, which,
like that state OF the other mponderables is ffused
in and around bodes-ambient about the surface OF
this planet, and perhaps little way within its
face 2nd-in the active state, which is too pc snt
to require calculation. The active existence of life
IS only seen when it is combined with matter; and
In this state 1t acts in obedience to laws which
lnvarlable as are any OF the physical laws In It's
marriage with ponderabe matter it dlssolves alnes
all the brute afiaties which be ong to ponderable
matter, and produces new being-a vegetable or
an animal-possessed of properties, and subject to
new laws, which are very different from those
which previously appertalned to the materials
tut OF which the structure Is raised
DIR. Nelson concluded his lecture with VARIETY OF
very curious facts practically illustrating the circum
tances under which the element lite IS separated
from the living animal In the case OF pregnant
woman, the foetus might be destroyed from sud
len fright Of the mother If she bea person OF rehn-
might not be produced from very severe kicks or
bruises And the exact reverse might be true oil q