The “protoplasm theory” has its echoes in antiquity. For as long as man has thought about the mystery of his aliveness he has asked after the material causes and principles of life within the body. The idea of a medium, matrix or substance of form and shape imbued with properties of aliveness is an ancient idea. Many prominent thinkers have supported the concept. But as inquiry into life progressed it took a turn towards a highly rational and observational approach especially as instruments of observation became available. One could say as a function of the type of instrument, relying on visual discrimination, the substance of life, was viewed in ever more discrete parts and so the cell theory with its components was born and mechanism became the dominant theory and paradigm. However, as with all theories and paradigms it is circumspect to understand what lead up to the establishment of a theory and what were the paradigms that were displaced by it. And what may we learn and understand by looking at the stories of these medical ideas. A rich understanding of a field of study demands that one comes to its essential principles, when these are understood one has mastered the discipline. And so we continue to carefully look for and elucidate principles, as then one comes to know what one is dealing with.
