New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-05
Professor SChaefer. of Edin-
burgh, Addresses British
Scientists.
HOPES TO CREATE CELLS
Would Search Nature Herself
for Transitional Forms Be-
tween Living and Non
Living Matter.
lBv Cable TO The Tribune.

London, Sept. 4.-ProfcSSor Schdfer
presidential address before the British
Association for the Advancement OF
civilized world. Taking as his thesis
the nature, origin and maintenance Of
life, he puts forward the theory that
life arises in its primal form spon-
taneously. without supernatural inter
vention, by chemical action.
The following points summarize his
address:
The line between animate and In
animate matter is less sharp than was
hitherto regarded. We are q Ions step
forward in the knowledge OF the chem
lcal basis of life, and I see no reason
TO doubt the formation Of life.
IF living substance is possible at
the present day our mistrust of such
evidence as Yet brought forward need
not preclude our admitting the posi-
bility Of the formation Of living from
non-living substance. We are COM
PEELED to believe that life is a product
of evolution from non-llving matter,
and by no means are justified in as
Stunning life was established at one
period only in the past history OF the
globe. We are compelled 10 accept
the conclusion that its evolution from
lifeless matter is possible in the pres
ent and future. Possibly heredity is
the one question the eventual solution
of which we must look 10 the chemist
10 provide. Our own life is an aggre-
life OF individual cells. only some Of
which lose their vitality at the mo-
ment of the so-called general death in
nature"
Dundee, Scotland. Sept. 4.-The most IN
teresting feature OF the opening session
to-day OF the British Association for the
Advancement OF Science was the presi-
Dental address this evening Of Professor
l.. A. Schsefer. OF Edinburgh University.
which dealt with the nature. origin and
maintenance OF life. During the course
OF his address he said.
we may fairly conclude that all changes
in living substance ar. brought about by
ordinary chemical and physical forces"
Speaking OF the properties Of growth
and reproduction. he declared: They are
possessed not alone by living bodies. for
inorganic crystals grow and multiply and
reproduce their like. given a supply o.
the requisite substance"
Further on he said 1T has been proved
that we can no longer consider such An
apparently vital phenomenon as the fer
tilzation OF the egg az being the result
OF living material brought 10 II. since II
is possible TO start the process OF diyi-
sion Of the cell In the egg and the result
Ing formation OF cells and ultimately OF
all the tissues and organism short. 10
bring about the development Of the whole
body-if a simple chemical reaction il
substituted for the male element In the
process Of fertilization. We may even
hope some day 10 see the material which
composes the nucleus OF cell life prepared
by the combination OF the proper SUBJ
stances"
In summing up his remarks. he said
that research seems 10 point 10 the con-
clusion that the possibility Of the pro-
duction OF lfe-that is Of living material
is not so remote as has been generally
assumed"