The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-15
THE SUN, SUNDAY, OCTOBER is, 1893

'ON, oOINbh lS OOA OD1e
structure. no that In no one minut
particle does any part OF many thou
sand fold increment differ ms to IL
ancestral characters from the inconcoivablJ
small overplus which was intrusted to tbs
embryo by it's parent. One might represent
the germ plnsm by the metaphor OF n yeas
plant. single particle OF which may be put
into n vat OF nutrient fluid: there It lives and
grows upon the nutrient supplied. so that q
new particle may next be taken to impregnate
another vat. and so on ad infnitun. Here the
successive watts would represent successive
generations OF progeny: but to mako the
metaphor complete one wonld have to sup
pose that In each case the yeast cell was re-
! duired to begin by making its own vat OF nu-
trient material. and that It was only tho re-
sidual portion OF the cell which was afterward
able to grow and multiply. The metaphor 10
thus necessarily defective. but II serves to en-
phasize the all-importsnt feature OF Weiss
mann's theory. namely. the almost absolute
| independence Of the germ plasm For just as
the properties Of the yeast plant would be In
no way affected By anything that might hap
| pen to the vat short OF it's being broken up or
| having its malt impaired. according to
| Weissmann the properties OF the germ plasm
| cannot be affected by anything that may hap
pen to the soma that contains 1t short OF the
soma being destroyed or having its nutritive
| functions disordered.
II.
| Such being the relations that Arc assur ned
| to obtain between the soma and its germ
| plasm. wo have next to inquire what IA sun
posed TO happen when. in the course OF evolu-
tion. some m odihcaton OF the ancestral form
OF the soma is required In order to adapt it to
| aomc change on the pnrt Of its environment. In
other words. we have IN con ider Weissmann's
view OF the modus operandi OF ndnptive de.
yelopment with its result in the orielnation
of new species.
Seeing that. according TO the theory. It ia
only conEenital variations which can be In
hcrited, all variations ecouired afterward
through the iptercourse OF individuals with
their environments. boweyer beneficial such
variations NAV be TO these individuals. ara
ruled ont as ropnrds tho species. Not falling
within the provinco OF bereditv. thew nre
blocked Off IN tho first generation. and tbere
fore present no signilconce at nil I'm tho proo-
ess OF organic evolution. No mattor how MANY
generations Of enples for instance NAV
have used their wings for the purposes
OF flight. and no matter how great
an increase of muscularitv. OF endurance.
and Of akin mnv tbus bava been socured
to each penoration NJ eac,es ma the rasult ~
individual ey.rcise all tbeso advanteres ara
entirsIv lost ia nrogorv md vou,c aao,ea
have ALWAYS 70 bepi, thar 1.-Two. with no mora
benefit beoueatbed NV the activity Of THAR nm
cestors ibnn ~ those ,ncestors had oil hean
barn.door fowls The only materials which .ra
of INV account az ropor da the sneci.s mr. with
referenco RI tho rrocses ~ eyo,ntion ar, for-
tuitons variations or thc congonItaI tind
Among all tba nnmhsrlass coneenitol v,rIo.
nerua,Iy occurrinc in an nh oanerotion ~ eoeIas
some will have reference TO tbe winps and
although these will Iva fortn;tons or occurrino
IN nil directions n few NJ than will, NOW and
than ba IN tho dirao+;o, of ;noroosad ,,ns,r
Iarity- otbers in the direction of increased An.
surance others in the direction n, Increased
skiIl and 90 on Nov, ..cb n, thsso fortu;tou.
variation. which I'm nnans alec n ho , honoo
cial variation. will he favored nv natural so,oc-
tion and haoouaair liL,owisa ha nn.ns - n.
conpenital variation will he nernetn.tod NV
boreditv Tn tho cours. of t;ma othar nonr.n
,tal variations will ba nnon IN ar;sa In +bo COW.
direction. those will he added hv n,tur.I
seecrion to tho ADVANTAGE ALREADY on;rad a,J
o,ter tbons.pds Of ganarotions IN. ,.,nns -, |
an oIae will have hacoma ayoIrad ,rto Oh, w.,
yallopa struoturss ,vb;cb tbav non, nroe.,.
Such bairo tho thaorv NJ n,,rrai sal.ot,.,
rbor strinnad ~ ali romror+o -, so'o,,Ios
marckian nrincinles wa have next 70 CON sidor |
What the theorv means IN ito relation ~ cav,
nlasm. For ns was bercre exnloined concan.
ita, variations arc supposed NV Waissm,np to |
be oue RI new combinations taxing nlacs IN
the oerm nlnsm "a a res,1t or tho unior IN
eyerv ac. Of fertilization oftwo com nlax h.rad.
itorv bistories Hut ~ congenit.I v.rl.t,ono
ara thus notbinp mora than var;at;ons -,
germ nasm writ large" in tbe org,ni.n,
which ia deve,oned ont Of the min am II IoIio,rs
that natural se,ection IA re,l,v ar wor,. unon
these variations ~ IN. n,oem -
aI,houob n ia nroximoto,v ~ ,ro.,'
nm tho corcenita, yoriations y, nrrontsn,
A., =. -, " S"Aio'u