The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-12-10
THE VITAL PRINCIPLE. =
MElssNEB's THEoRys = st,ti.

Dr. Melssner.s discovery of the
principle of life, which . has lately
caused so much discussion, in the sci
entiflc circles of Europe, and which
has given rise to so many curious
speculations among .savans, must be
considered as, undoubtedly the great
est discovery of modern times. We
mean, of course not merely in its
bearings on the phenomena of pro-
duction in the ordinary course of ma
ture, for Dr. Meissner's startling: as
sertion that he has, during the pro-
gress of his, researches, succeeded in
inanimate bodies. has been denied by
no competent, authority conversant
with the facts in the case 1t is some
what singular that Mr.. Crosses pro-
duction Of the insects known to ento-
mologists. as the acarus Crosse, by
means of electrical currents of ex-
tremely low tension, should not have
been followed up by scientific men
more diligently than it. has hitherto
been followed up, but, the general out
cry which met the :. ,Vestiges of Crea-
ton" Gin which the explicit account of
Mrs, Crosses experiments was first
given tofthe world) may, in, part, ac-
count for this apparent apathy. It is
well known that Sir H, Davy thought
that the principle of life, was gas,
and it is now equally well known that
the late lamented Professor Faraday,
Davy's friend and pupil, was, for sew
eral years before his death, in CORES
pondenoe with DR.. Meissner, of Ber-
lin, in regard to this subject, and had,
as now. appears, no small share il, the
honor of the discovery which has been
generally claimed for DR.. Meissner.
The Memoir, in which. DR.. Meissner
presented his views and gave an ac-
count of his experiments before the
Berlin Academy of sciences is, with
the, exception of a somewhat obscure
phraseology, which, however, arises,
to a great extent, from the necessity
~ 2
of giving, new names to new things,
(the same thing that causes Kant's
works to appear obscurel, is neverthe-
less a great and even touching paper.
Great, because of its matter; touch
ing, because it is a history of years of
patient study and devotion to an idea.
In early life, Dr., Meissner, as he says,
wasted many years in the Study of
the metaphysics" and yet we cannot
but see that in the metaphysics lay
the germ of his recent Investigations
It was there that he acquired that
habit of patient thinking, and that
willingness to follow his ideal even
though it should lead him to conelu-
sions utterly at variance with preconn-
ceived and firmly rooted opinions
which would have resulted at last in
the discovery of the principles Of life,
and the Identification of it with mo-
ton, and have brought upon him all
that clerical rage which has nnrelent-
ing1y been showered on his devoted
head. -'>
The generally received doctrine of
the correlation of forces by which it
has been shown that heat is but a
mode of motion, and that thinking is
equally so, has, by Dr.. Meissner, been,
further illustrated by showing that all
life, and all the manifestations of, life,
will, love, the growth of plants and
animals, nay, even that God himself,
are but motion DR.. .Meissner's God
is the great animG 0aualdi, but not sim
ply the metaphysical anina, but the
actual aninaa, which can at will be
extracted from matter and produced
in the laboratory; Motion, it will be
seem from this, Dr., Meissner claims,
is not simply change of place among
bodies, but an actual, tangible sub
stance; and " "change of place. is but
the manifestation of, its presence, Sir
II. Davy, it will be remembered,
claimed that the life principle was a
gas; but Meissner has obtained the
gas, and by means of powerful appa-
ratus, compressed it into solid form,
as was long ago done with carbonic
acid gas. AS shown by Dr.. Meissner
to the Academy, during the reading
ad explanation of his memoir, it was
in hollow glass globe about two feet
in diameter, from which the. atmos-
pheric air had been, as far as possible,
exhausted. Owing to the impossible
ity of completely Withdrawing the
air, its manifestations were, to some
extent impeded. q, 1t was in the form
of powder, which, when at rest, is
white. But after, sufficient air is with
drawn to enable it to assume its activ-
ity, the colors of it are those COM
monty seen in animal and vegetable
life. The globe containing this pow
der was suspended from the wall by
fine silk cord, about five feet from
the. floor, SO that it could readily
be observed by the members of the
Academy. DR.. Meissner, when he
wished to call attention to it, removed
black silk cloth by which it was COW
cred, and violently agitated the pow
der by shaking the globe with great
force. When the powder had become
chaotic in its forms, he allowed the
globe to hang quietly from the ceiling,
and requested the audience to view
it closely, and see how this microcosm
would reproduce from the earliest
times Of the universe, the various
changes which the microcosm has un-
dergene. AT first all was confusion,
but soon the powder became brill