, 1870-05-29
SCIENCE III CEEEsF

p" tne present h81tation OF DarEiniau
theories as to the origin of Life, in it's sim
p'est aud most gezminaI Forms, there is,
perhaps, tendency on the part of investi.
gators to blend animal with chemical aoen.
cles unnecessarily. We find, for instance
IN the american Grocer, an article by Pro.
fessor John Darby, on cheese, in which An
argument by Nr. Arnold, before the Amer
1can DalrJmens' Association, is quoted.
which presents new phase Of the germ
theory. Mr. Arnold holds that The peculiar
ACTON OF the rennet upon milk, to convert
It's liquid caseine, or cheese particles, into
SOLID curd, (the gist of the process of
cheese-making) is due to the fact that the
substance OF which rennet is formed viz:
the stomach of young calves, pigs, goata,
or lafnbs, includes innumerab1e minnie
giobular bodies, having uniform appear-
anee, and composed of an almost infinitely
small speck of Light colored liquid, inclosed
with very delicate sac, and having
darker colored nucleus in the centre "
These he styles "aninaal germs- or cellu-
lar atoms, endowed with an embryo life of
their own. These cells, or germs, saya the
adventurous Arnold, are found
10 the number OF 130, 5eo, 900, ,ooo in a
SINGLE rennet- They are produced
also in different sections of the alimentarv
canal and quite plentifu1ly in the bladder.
They lie in tubes in the coats of the stom.
ach, those nearest the inner wall being
larger md more powerful than those fur
the1 from tue surface, and the coagulatory
power of the rennst is in proportion 10 the
number of cells.
Now, IS our own human stomachs con.
tain precisely the came elements for effect
ing digestion as those from which rennet il
made and, indeed, all animal digestion is
enected BY one process, it is rather start |
Ing to find it associated in the mind of this
philosopher with go many myriads Of little
animal germs. We strain our inteuecta to |
conceive what few billions of .tanimsl |
germs might do or be, as distinguished !
from the same number of particles which |
were either independent atoma, endowed
only with chemical powers, or parts of a |
hzger living organism, having no powers
but those which they manifested through
the organism. The tenn "anirnAl germs" |
can only apply to particles having an indie
pendent ifeof their own, pa1ta1sing Of an |
independent sustenance, and undergoing
their several deaths and diasolutiona In
what then does this singular theory result,
II not IN the astounding hypothesis that
the process Of digestion consists in
tho absorption Of the food, after it is re-
ceived into the stomach, by several millions
OF intinitesinal, but meaaurably independ-
ent, e1istences, who, having got their fiji,
take passage by the hinentary canal into
the ducts, BY which they are conveyed into
the blood, transmitted to the lungs, allowed
their breath Of fresh air, and then, in
flash, dart through the arteries to their final
resting place. It may be q very pretty
theory to endow each of these particles Of
matter with life Of its own. It is certain
that the process OF digestion goes on, when
the materials are placed in a corked bottle
OF the same Temperature ~ in the stomach,
u rapidly as in the stomach From this
point of view, the ooagnlation of milk into
cheese-curd is the consumption Of the milk
BY these millions of ''anima1 gerns, Just
as Lime and the other elements of the coral
are absorbed by the insect, and, at his
death, become his monument. Why should
We wonder at the decay Of modern poetry
when science demands all the powers Of
imagination with which men OF genius aro
gifted7