In the old days, when organic matter was supposed to be infused with some vital spirit that distinguished it from the cold clay of the material world, and the variety of human types and the possession of free will were in-controvertibly attributed to the powers and generosity of God, it was not so hard to understand how an embryo grew into a whole human being. It was merely another of His miracles that a tiny organic seed, infused with the requisite life-spirit, could contain all that was necessary for the creation of a new person. And if the mechanics of the process seemed complex beyond human comprehension, that only proved the necessity of divine intervention.

LRB 7 November 1991 | PDF Download