Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The machinery of life / a lecture by Lionel S. Beale. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.
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![whose machinery can be demonstrated, and the phenomena ■of which are to be adequately explained by physics. But this cannot be done. The lowest, simplest living thing that is known exhibits actions which no physical law can account for, and which can only be explained by assuming powers •or forces which are not physical. Nevertheless, the number of people who accept or seem to accept the physical doctrine of life is, I beUeve, on the increase. I do not -consider it likely that many well-informed persons implicitly believe the general statements made in favour of physical -doctrines of life to be literally true, but a vast number ■certainly consider that there is much more of truth in them than those who have thoroughly examined them, acknow- ledge, or than appears on the surface. But it is only this sort of vague half acquiescence which is looked for by the ^.idvocates of the physical doctrine. If the public will only give physicists credit for having rendered it probable that, as Mr. Pritchard puts it, our menial and moral constihition is -arranged on a much more mechanical principle than had hitherto been conceived, that will be quite enough for the present. A further stage of progress in the new faith will soon and certainly be reached. Yet I have no doubt that if it were possible to place the arguments which are advanced in favour of such views fairly before the public the verdict would be entirely against their acceptance. But I freely admit people may fairly say, we cannot be expected to inquire into all the details upon which these conclusions rest. All learners must trust and largely trust their teachers. We cannot believe that distinguished scientific men of well earned reputation can] have imposed upon themselves, and iipon us, to the extent they must have done if these physical c](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2144366x_0037.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
