Excerpt from The Theory of Ions: A Consideration of Its Place, in Biology and Therapeutics
Time was when the earth was supposed to be fixed and have a fiat surface, when the sun revolved around the earth, and the moon as a luminary shod forth its own light. Time was when dryads and fauns dwelt in our forests, when fairies tripped upon the greensward, and mermaids sang in the ocean. Time flies, customs change, and knowledge progresses. We know now that the earth is not flat, the moon is not a resplendent orb, that fairies do not dance upon our lawns. Among the many theories of the earth's origin none was so fiercely fought as the nebular hypothesis, of man's origin none caused such bitter antagonism as the evolutionary theory, but both are now accepted by the majority of men capable of considering their meaning. One of the most popular ideas, one which persists, and which our ever-increasing knowledge has not changed, is that there are only two forms of matter, inorganic and organic or dead and living matter. It is supposed that there is no condition between; a thing is either living or it is dead, it must be one or the other. In the gross this is true. There is a mighty gulf between the living and the dead. But how can we be sure that there is no intermediate condition?
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