Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 49.djvu/637

Rh has come to embody this knowledge is now known as biology. It falls naturally into two great divisions: the study of the form and structure of organs and organisms—anatomy or morphology—and the study of the functions, of the actions, which the organs perform. This is physiology. Dividing further, physiology falls into the sciences of healthy action, physiology proper, and diseased action, pathology, from παθος, a suffering. It is evident that for the study of form alone the dead body is in general sufficient. But for the investigation of the activities of health and disease it is as evident that the physiologist and pathologist require vital action as much as the chemist requires chemical action or the physicist requires motion. It is continually being urged that the dead body is sufficient for every scientific purpose. As well say that the dead body is as good as a live man. It would be precisely as reasonable to agitate against driving live horses, contending that dead ones will go just as fast, as to oppose the use of live animals for physiological or pathological research. And those who make this claim prove conclusively that they have no conception of what the word physiology means.

Of all physical Nature nothing is of greater importance or touches man more closely than just this thing, life. The study of form, anatomy, is little more than a dead stepping-stone to this science of the processes of life, physiology. Young as it is, no science has attained results of greater value and none gives brighter promise for the future. In a word, the faith, hope, and charity which inspire this science are to learn enough about the laws and possibilities of living Nature, to do away with all disease and premature death, and to make all life as full and perfect as these laws will permit. This is the inspiration of biology. Is it base or unworthy? And it is not Utopian. It is possible. The end may not be attained for a hundred years or a thousand. That depends upon how much faith men have in it and upon how much effort they are willing to devote to it. But it will come as surely as the world moves.

Take for a moment a broad view of our situation in this respect. Nearly one half of our people are dying before the age of forty-one, almost all of disease, curable or preventable, did we but know how. This goes on with our standing army of physicians, over one hundred thousand strong, on duty day and night. It looks discouraging, and an eminent physician has himself said that a doctor is like a man blindfolded, striking about with a club, almost as likely to hit his patient as the disease. Our only hope, therefore, must lie in more knowledge of the laws which govern living Nature. Without this, as well attempt to stay the storm and tides of the ocean with straw as the currents of disease and the course of Nature with doctors. If we could get before