Critical remarks on certain recently published opinions concerning life and mind / by John Roberston.

  • Robertson John, 1797-1876.
Date:
1836
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Critical remarks on certain recently published opinions concerning life and mind / by John Roberston. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    that the molecular forces will be the forces of the compound ; that is to say, not of the electric atmosphere alone, nor of the atom alone, but of the two thus permanently conjoined. The difference between dead and living matter. Sir Charles goes on to remark, appears to be, that the atoms of a chemical body are permanently arranged by electric attraction and repulsion, until means arc taken to effect a decomposition; whereas in a living body, the life continues not only to arrange the atoms which enter into its composition, but to whirl them in a series of revolutions, during all which time the atoms are passive, the law being in the life; in other words, the life is alone subject to a law according to which it selects nineteen out of the fifty-two elements of common matter, which present themselves, with which to construct a living body, and whirls them with inconceivable skill, method and ord' , so as, from a small rudimental atom of albumen (such as the em • bryo, in the first week, appears to be) to fabricate that paragon of animals—man ! If Sir Charles really attaches a definite meaning to the words he employs in unfolding his theoiy of a living principle, I imagine that few of his readers will be equally acute. The notion that the atoms of matter, which nourish an organic being, remain passive and are unceasingly whirled by something which Sir Charles calls the life, is more strangely unintelligible than anythin:. o be found in Barclay's massy volume on Life and Organization ; and in that volume the reader will find many notions not a little strange. Why will not Sir Charles and the rest allow the Deity to perform his own work according to the simple methods of his own infinite power ? E N D. JOHN IIARIIISON, PRINTKR, MANCHKSTBR.