An essay, or tract, on the vitality of the warm blood and air / by James Morison ; edited and republished by Elisha North.

  • Morison, James, 1770-1840.
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay, or tract, on the vitality of the warm blood and air / by James Morison ; edited and republished by Elisha North. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    A TREATISE, ON THE ORIGIN OF LIFE, AND SUPREME AGENCY OF BLOOD AND AIR, ON THE HUMAN BODY, &C. [Warm] blood forms the body. Air [or oxygen] gives it life. What is life ? From whence do we spring ? These are questions which have always occupied the attention of mankind, as they do now,. without their ever receiving any satisfactory or useful elucidation ; and after reading all the theo- ries, systems, and speculations thereupon, of philo- sophers, naturalists, or physicians, we are at last brought to this conclusion ; that we do not know or comprehend [much about] it; that our whole beginning and being are somewhat incomprehen- sible to us; and that, the state we call life remains [somewhat mysterious.] Naturalists, philosophers, physicians, and ana- tomists, have in vain attempted to guide our steps [right]; or to assist our researches so as to im- part to us an intimate conviction and knowledge of the origin of our lives and real natures. They have all strayed too much into theoretical conjectures, endeavouring to erect a body composed of matter and spirit, vitality and such like. As these theories were all imaginary, and not ground- ed on any real basis or foundation, and only flat-