878. Galvanism, as a tri-elementary process, represents the planet in its _totality_. The galvanic column is an entire planet, a planet upon the planet, the planet individualized.
879. The individual, taken in a strong sense, is an entire planet taken up into Singulars, a triplicity of the elements in the particular or _special_ unity. In galvanism there consequently issues forth for the first time an individual, which is equivalent to a cosmic totality. Galvanism is the metatype of the planet. All other and profounder processes are not total in character, nor metatypes of a whole system, but only moieties thereof.
880. The planet, regarded in itself, in its three elements, apart from its relation to the sun, is a galvanic body, a column, just as inversely this is a planet.
881. The attributes, which consequently belong to the planet, abstractedly from the sun, must belong to every galvanic process, or to such a body. The planet is a Whole included in itself, and thus is galvanism. The latter acts only in a closed chain, or only by its own body or its materiality forming _one_ circle that returns into itself. The three elements are mutually self-excited and moved, and that indeed from internal causes, though not apart from external conditions. Thus galvanism is like an individual planet.
882. An individual (total, self-included) body, excited and moved by itself, is called _Organism_. _Organism is what individual planet is._ The metatype of the planet is organism; or a planet upon the planet is organism. The planet is not itself an organism, because it is not individual or galvanic in every point.
883. The self-excitation of the individualized elements, is called life.
884. Galvanism is the principle of life. There is no other vital force than the galvanic polarity. The heterogeneity of the three terrestrial elements in a circumscribed individual body is the _vital force_. The galvanic process is one with the vital process.
885. Organism is galvanism residing in a thoroughly _homogeneous mass_. The galvanic column is no organism, because it only admits the galvanic process just as the planet does, in individual places. A body only, which is zinc-pole, silver-pole and moist pulp at every conceivable point, is an organism. A galvanic pile, pounded into atoms must become alive. In this manner nature brings forth organic bodies.