Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1865-04-13
THE VITAL PRINCIPLE.

What is animal life? This question has
perplexed the world for ages and is still
in dispute. If the medical faculty could
solve it they would have key to the origin
OF all diseases, and no longer treat us by
guess. as they too frequently do now
"The life is in blood" we are told on high
authority but the grand problem in medi-
cal philosophy is not where is it but what
is it The priests of Chaldea and Egypt
consulted the stars upon the subject, but
obtained no answer OF any practical value
The Greeks studied the laws Of nature
thoughtfully, but failed tofathom the great
secret. Modern doctors have argued the
point very learnedly and given US multi
tude of theories thereupon, but the common
sense of mankind is not entirely satisfied
with any of them Neither the subtitle
logic of the metaphysician nor those Of the
anatomst has been able to determine pos
ltlvely what animal life is
Pythagoras and most Of the ancient sa-
ges believed the vital spirit to be invisible
fire. Epicurus-who, by the way was a man
of immense mind, and not, as many sup
pose, "A two legged pig who grovelled in the
mire of ensualism-insisted that it was
compounded of heat and gas. Among the
moderns, John Wesley, Dr. Priestly, Sir
Humphrey Davy, Abernethy, and many
others, maintained that electricity or mag
netism is the animating element. The late
DIR. Metcalfe, one Of our own distinguished
men of science, held caloric or latent heat
to be the basis of vitality, and supposed
electricity it's emanation, to be the active vi.
tai principle.
That atmospheric heat is intimately con-
nected with this principal, is evident from
it's influence in the production of innnmer-
able forms of animal and vegetable exis-
tence.
Of the million and half of animal and
vegetable species which the earth is esti-
mated to contain, probably three-fourths
inhabit regions where there is no winter
The whole tropical ocean may be said to be
alive, while within the artic circle life is
sparsely scattered, and what there is of it
is comparatively sluggish. Summer i'll all
latitudes is the nurse, if not the parent, Of
myrids OF existences, and it is obvious that
if the world were deprived of solar heat
every living thing would die. We know
that the vital spark has been apparently
extinguished in fish and reptiles by the ac-
tion of cold, it can be re-kindled by the ap-
plication of heat Fish that have been fro
zen stiff and remained in that condition for
twelve months, may be thawed back to life
This feat has been accomplished by Eu-
ropean professor, who is now soliciting per-
mission to CONCEAL few criminals con-
demned to death. He says that after keep
ing them under the seal of Jack Frost for
a year or two, he could warm them up and
set them agoing again as good as new. OF
course, nobody believes him. 1t may be
possible to recall frozen tadpole to life,
but it is beyond the power of science to
summon back to it's earthly tabernacle a
departed soul.
The sum and substance of the whole
matter is, that although heat and electricity
are apparently essential to the development
Of animal life and to its revival after TEN
porary suspension, its principle is beyond
the scrutiny of man. The lams of life and
motion we may investigate and determine
but their origin is a civine mystery which
reason cannot penetrate.