Dowegainanythingbyattemptingtogetridoftheideaofaspecialvitalforcebecausewefindcertainmutuallyconvertiblerelationsbetweenforcesinthebodyandoutofit？Ithinknot，anymorethanweshouldgainbygettingridoftheideaandexpressionMagnetismbecauseofitscorrelationwithelectricity。Wemayconcedetheunityofallformsofforce，butwecannotoverlookthefixeddifferencesofitsmanifestationsaccordingtotheconditionsunderwhichitacts。Itisamistake，however，tothinkthemysteryisgreaterinanorganizedbodythaninanyother。Weseeastonefalloracrystalform，andthereisnothingstrangerlefttowonderat，forwehaveseentheInfiniteinaction。
Justsofaraswecanrecognizetheordinarymodesofoperationofthecommonforcesofnature，——gravity，cohesion，elasticity，transudation，chemicalaction，andtherest，——weseetheso-calledvitalactsinthelightofalargerrangeofknownfactsandfamiliaranalogies。Matteuecci’swell-rememberedlecturescontainmanyandstrikingexamplesoftheworkingofphysicalforcesinphysiologicalprocesses。Whereverrigidexperimentcarriesus，wearesafeinfollowingthislead；butthemomentwebegintotheorizebeyondourstrictobservation，weareindangeroffallingintothosemechanicalfollieswhichtruesciencehaslongoutgrown。
Recognizingthefact，then，thatwehavelearnednothingbutthemachineryoflife，andarenonearertoitsessence，whatisitthatwehavegainedbythisgreatdiscoveryofthecellformationandfunction？
ItwouldhavebeenrewardenoughtolearnthemethodNaturepursuesforitsownsake。IfthesovereignArtificerletsusintohisownlaboratoriesandworkshops，weneednotaskmorethantheprivilegeoflookingonathiswork。Wedonotknowwherewenowstandinthehierarchyofcreatedintelligences。Weweremadealittlelowerthantheangels。Ispeakitnotirreverently；astheloweranimalssurpassmaninsomeoftheirattributes，soitmaybethatnoteveryangel’seyecanseeasbroadlyandasdeeplyintothematerialworksofGodasmanhimself，lookingatthefirmamentthroughanequatorialoffifteeninches’aperture，andsearchingintothetissueswithatwelfthofaninchobjective。
Butthereareotherpositivegainsofamorepracticalcharacter。