Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-03-19
LETTERS ON NATURAL HISTORY.
Rudimentary Forms OF Life.
By DR. HIRAM A. CUTTING.
HIOPLASM.

or germinal matter, is transparent, color.
less, glue-like. apparently structureless,
substance, even under the highest mag
nifyng power. 1t exhibits these charac-
teristcs at every period of its existence.
1t shows itself under all the tests known
to physical science to be the same wher-
ever found, whether weaving plant OIL
animal. 1t is apparently the same when
making brain, muscle, nerve or bone, yet
in no way can those making nerve be
made TO make bone, or muscle; yet ne
power of the microscope shows any differ.
cnt appearance. They may exist in
masses less than one hundred thousandtf
of an inch, or as large as one two hund-
redth of an inch. They probably never
have the same form twice during their
existence, yet have power of movement
and change. They absorb nutrient matter,
and instantaneously change this dead
matter into living, doing it by an unseen
process which no human science can imi,
tate or explain. In this unexplainable
manner they feed, and thus in mystery
spin and weave threads of nerves, arteries,
veins, bones, in fact, all the mechanism of
the system, throwing off formed and per-
feet material. They also carry out the de.
sign, weaving in proper form, the plant OF
animal. with every part complete, wind,
ing the nerve spirally about tendon, or
the muscle like spiral springs; increasin g
in numbers themselves as they find work
to do until they fill up the whole subject
rendering all complete. They are scat.
tered through the tissues so that the dis
tance between them is scarcely more than
the breadth of themselves; thus constitut
ing at least one-fifth of the bulk of living
bodies. They are the sole agents by whicl
every living thing is made, so far as
known.
Though they increase by subdivision
they doubtless differ sexually, us it Is only
after the inlerminglng of these that mul
tiplication takes place, and their work
commences. After death they are resolved
into fibrin, albumen. fStty matter ant
salts, forming thus the spontaneously co
agulable substance, on the diffusion o
which through the body, the rigidity Of
the frame after death depends.
Such, in brief, is the description of the
most interesting, by far, of all the object
known to physical science. (For plates
and methods of observation | would refe
all to Beal's illustrations and descriptions.
Every particle of matter that can be fount
in any living being is one of three kinds
nutrient matter, living matter Or formed
matter. Nutrient matter comes through
the cell wall and entering into the bio
plasm is there transformed into living
matter. But you must not take the eel
as the elementary part Of the living tissue
but naked mass of bioplasm. That il
the elementary form all else from il
Nutrient material may pass through th
cell wall in animal tissues just rs sal
passes through the intcrcellular substance!
in vegetable tissues; the bioplast takes it
and throws off formed material around it
quverng edges. and thus forms the Gel
wall; and thus l might say weavcs tn,
tissue Of animal or plant. Movement i.
going on all the while, and while we see i
continuous, yet with a design, as i. make
no mistake, we feel that every chang
must have an adequate cause. The Frencl
savans in science, say electricity and sun
light; but we say, standing back of all
directing the movements and laying ou
the design, there is Il power, fathomless,
unseen and omniscent, such us is ascribet
10 God. Here is found n set of biopast
weaving muscle, another nerve, and on
tendon; but there is no possible extcrna
influence that can make them exchang
offices with each other. We know the
are thus woven, we know there must be
cause. From the bioplast spindle flows o1
formed matter; here miracle Of muscle
there a miracle of tendon, there q miracl
of nerve. This goes on until the fOrme
material about them increases in thick
ness, at length it is too thick to admit nu
TRENT matter, and the bioplast grow
smaller, and smaller, at length dies an
drops away, the places of the dead being
at once supplied by the living, which bull
on after the pattern and design of tn
whole organization. Thus it goes on il
youth, in middle life, in old age, unit
death puts an end to the wonderful work
We have spoken of the parts. but in
single nerve there is urspeakable CON
plexity. Let us stand with open eyes be
fore these revelations of Almighty God.
Here is a nerve wound spirally roun
another fibre. How is it made to twin
about its trellis work? When that nerv
begins to be formed those boplasts ar
near each other they begin to throw o
formed material and push out shoulder t
shoulder, weaving on, marching still j
course, around the other fibre, with pei
feet precision. Materialists say this is Il
by molecular machinery. They speak
chemical properties and afIinilies. The
say this is transmutalion of physical force
DO they know what they arc sayingp
is an old aphorism THAT the clear
true" That all truth can be made clear
An intelligent direction is clear and shor
but can they make theirs SOP 1t is Iii
and intelligence, or mechanism; which?
Not only do the mystic bioplasts kno,
enough TO coil one fibre around anothe
bat they weave the whole complexity (
the tissues together; so there is no clashin
among the multitudinous parts of the liz
ing organization. We see those chang'
and ask whether it is God-given life, {
mechanism? In the naked bioplast "
see changes going on and the question j
what is an adequate cause of thet
changes; Gol-given life, or mechanism
which?
Back Of the bioplast we find nothing