ago, brought out, in a vague manner, the idea that vital force was correlated with chemical and physical forces.[1] In 1848 Dr. Frelce, M. R. I. A., of Dublin, first advanced the idea that vital force of animal life was generated by decomposition. In 1851 the same idea was brought out again by Dr. Watters, of St. Louis. These papers were unknown to me when I wrote my article. They have been sent to me in the last few years by their respective authors. Neither of these authors, however, extends this principle to vegetation, the most fundamental and most important phenomenon of life. In 1857 the same idea was again brought out by Prof. Henry, of the Smithsonian Institution, and by him extended to vegetation. I do not, therefore, now claim to have first advanced this idea, but I do claim to have in some measure rescued it fi*om vagueness, and given it a clearer and more scientific form.
I wish now to apply these principles in the explanation of the most important phenomena of vegetable and animal life:
1. Vegetation.—The most important phenomenon in the life-history of a plant—in fact, the starting-point of all life, both vegetable and animal—is the formation of organic matter in the leaves. The necessary conditions for this wonderful change of mineral into organic mat-
- ↑ In 1845 Dr. J. R. Mayer published a paper on "Organic Motion and Nutrition." I have not seen it.
