A paper read before the British Association which has commanded
unusual public attention was that of Professor F. G. Donnan on " The Mystery of Life." He referred to the researches of Professor A. V. Hill in London University, and went so far as to say that Professor Hill was " on the eve of a discovery of astound- ing importance." The molecular construction of a living being is always tending " to run down," just as a motor runs down if the supply of petrol is cut off. But the difference is that the engine does not immediately go to pieces. It remains unharmed though without fuel ; but, the living cell without oxidation at once enters into a state of dissolution. Professor Donnan believes that as a result of the discovery of the oxidation of cells we are for the first time beginning, though still dimly, " to understand the difference between life and death, and therefore the very meaning of life itself." We wonder what Professor Hill thinks of Professor Donnan's too lyrical outburst. Every scientific discovery seems to expose a new horizon. The final mystery always eludes us. Is life an accidental importa- tion into this planet, or is it an evolution from inanimate matter under exceptional conditions ? If the latter is the true explanation, can synthetic life be produced ? And even then, would a mechanistic explana- tion of everything suffice ? A new horizon would appear.
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