ted in an entirely different manner--one which would show that
life is not directly dependent upon food combustion at all, as is
generally supposed. The alternative method of interpreting the facts
would be as follows:

Life is a _power_ which acts upon organized matter, under certain
conditions, in a variable and fluctuating manner. Whenever energy acts
upon substance, substance wastes. Whenever work of any kind is done by
the body, therefore, the tissues are broken down, and to supply this
waste, this destruction, food material is needed. The more waste, the
greater the need for repair, and _per contra_ the less waste, the less
the need of repair. So far as the material equivalent (food) is
concerned, therefore, it will be seen that this is only what we should
expect on either theory; and tells no more in favour of one than the
other.

But what of the energy? The greater the expenditure of energy, the more
work done, the more tissue destroyed. The more tissue destroyed, the
more food needed, and the more ingested. But this does not prove that
the extra amount of food has _created_ the extra energy! That would be
putting the cart before the horse with a vengeance! And yet this is what
is universally done by physiologists in considering these experiments!
Perhaps I cannot do better than to quote, just here, a portion of the
excellent Introduction which Dr. A. Rabagliati, F.R.C.S., F.F.C.P.,
etc., wrote to my book, and which really states the case more clearly
than I stated it myself. He says in part:

"To take an analogy: It seems to me it would be as pertinent to
argue that because the strings of a violin or harp waste in
proportion to the quantity of music evolved through or by means of
them, therefore the waste of the strings is the cause of the
music, while in fact it is the hand of the player, and even the
spirit behind the hand, which is the real and efficient cause of
the music. So the form of the infinite and universal energy, which
we may call erg-dynamic, is the cause of the waste of the body
through which it works; and this is at once made good by the
increased trophic metabolism which occurs, to replace the
waste--this increased trophic metabolism showing itself in
increased O_2 intake and coincidently or correspondingly with
increased CO_2 output. If the strings of a musical instrument were
self-repairing, we might perhaps be induced t