, 1901-09-06
WILL WE MAKE LIFE?
THE NEW CENTURY MAY RE-
VEAL THIS MARVEL.
PsyIng Into the hrch-Secrst of Dame
Natures Laboratory "A Psychologist
Who Believes that the Problem VIII
Some Day lie solved.

The famous Professor Haeckel says
that man will some day learn how to
make life-that he will know how Ito
produce a living substance by artificial
processes" Perhaps the new century
may hold in reserve this greatest
vel, which will enable the physiolog-
ical chemist to assume the role OF a
creator. 1t may be only in a small
way, but it will be wonderful none
the less. After all, the problem is
simply to create a bit of p~rotoplasm.
which is the basis Of all life. the clay
of the potter-the substance, in short.
out of which all animals and plants
are built up. And surely that ought
not to be so very difficult, considering
what very ordinary stuff protoplasm
Is. Take a spoonful Of the white OF an
egg, and you have 1t, practically.
White of egg, in fact, is nearly pure
protoplasm. The composition of
protoplasm being absolutely known.
the chemist has no great trouble in
initiating it. So many parts Of oxy-
gen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon
are put together, and there you are.
Artificial %protoplasm has been made
of albuminous substances and oils, and
the product has actually had a move
ment of its W Stimulating life; but
the movement was due merely to
chemical causes. Viewed under the
microscope, the stuff had exactly the
same apparent structure as proto-
plasm, but there was nc Me in it, and
no reproductive principle. The differ
ence between a thing living and a
thing dead is not 4 matter of struc-
ture or chemical composition-the two
may be exactly the same in both re-
spects-but In the ability which the
living thing has to renew its W cells
and propagate fresh ones Blood
taken out OF the veins OF a living ami
NAL is the same as the blood that re-
mains in the veins, but the latter Is
continually developing new corpuseles
is alive. In other WORTHWHILE the
former does nothing of the kind. Why
Is 1t so? In the answer to that ques-
ton lies the arch-secret of Dame Ma
lures laboratory. 1t has never been
plausibly guessed at as yet, but there
is no good reason for taking it for
granted that it will never be found
out. Prof. Haeckel calls attention to
the fact that In trying to create life
man is only making an effort to ac-
complish what the plants in any
body's garden are doing all the time.
They take 80 many parts Of carbon,
hydrogen. nitrogen and oxygen and
convert them into protoplasms, the
living substance. Science can COM
bine these elements Just as nature
does. the proportions being exactly
known. but not yet SO as to produce
life. But believe firmly" says the
great Psychologist, that the problem
will some day be solved. and the arti-
fetal production of life become an ac-
complished fact" If a drop of blood
be drawn by pricking ones finger and
viewed under a high microscopic pow
er there will be seen, among numer-
GUS little disc-shaped bodies which
float in 1t and give it its red color. n
comparatively smaller number OF
somewhat larger colorless bodies OF
at the temperature Of living blood
these colorless corpuscles will be seen
to exhibit a marvellous activity, chang
ing their forms with great rapidity.
drawing in and thrusting out prolon-
cations Of their substance, and creep
ing about as II they were Independent
organisms. Each is a tiny mass Of
protoplasm. and has a nucleus Of its
own. 1t is a structural unit Of the
human being taking shape as an ag-
gregation OF such corpuscles. 1t is the
same way with all other animals,
though they are built up on different
structural forms. and some, like the
amoeba. are so low down in the scale
Of creation as to consist Of but one
such cell. A plant is able to take
carbolic acid, water, and heterogeneous
salts. and convert them into proto-
plasm. That is the way in which
vegetable organisms grow. An animal
cannot do this. and so would starve
In the presence Of any quantity OF such
raw materials Philadelphia Times.