The Indianapolis journal., 1902-09-21
VIRCHOW ON EVOLUTION
1T Is "A POSSIBILITY" HE SAID, "a
LONG WAY OFF FROM PROOF"
Descent of Man from the Are, Like
wise, UnprOven-The Great Ger
mans Last Words on This Topic.

Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK. Sept. 19.-Shortly before
Rudolph Virchow, the great natural sci
enlist, met with the accident that carried
him off. some ten days ago, he wrote the
subjoined letter on the question of evolu-
ton to Henry w. Fischer. the author and
writer on foreign affairs-this being Vir-
chow's last contribution to scientific litera-
ture. The letter is dated Felsenegg auf dem
Zuger Berg, Switzerland, Aug. 81, 1901, and
covers four closely written pages of rather
feminine letter paper, seven by four and
one-half inches in size. The handwriting is
grabbed and hard to decipher-Virchow was
completing his eightieth year then-but in
other respects the short essay is as clear
cut and vigorous any that every fell
from his pen to startle the scientific world.
1t says, in effect, that science has so far
failed to upset the biblical story of the cre-
alton, while "for those who will not accept
the church dogma, evolution is the only
possibility left, but from possibility to
proof is a long way of" The letter fol-
lows:
81 have never been an opponent of Dar-
win-all my quarrels were with the Dar-
winists and, particularly, those defending
IA
objective natural philosopher, always de-
manded that the monkey theory, or, to be
more correct, the hypothesis relating to 1t,
could not be definitely discussed until the
have sprung is discovered In other words,
/ demanded that certain ape be unnlis-
takably pointed out as the possible fore
father of man.
THE theory cannot be demonstrated on
any members of the genus, or species, of
ape known to science up to date. That there
are human individuals resembling apes very
closely, 1 have myself demonstrated, for
instance in the case of procusus squamae
temporatis, cases we'll known to scientific
men. These cases / introduced into scien-
tihc literature under the name of pithekoid
that is. resembling, or pertaining to- the
genus Pithecus, viz, belonging to the high
er, as distinguished from the lower apes
Still, took care not to characterize these
individuals as atavistic, because science
recognizes a great many marvellous or pro-
digious and exaggerated formations, or
malformations of the human body, result
ing from disorders in the prenatal develop
ment
The question then would have to be
formulated as follows: What is atavistic
the embryonic period) in the malforma-
tions of the human form called pithekoid? :?
The discovery of Eugene Dubois, In Java
made in recent years; has developed an en-
tirely new question: 1t is undecided wheth-
er the bones he found belonged to man or
ape. My own investigations led me to con-
clude that they were the bones of a monkey
rather than those of a human being. The
matter was thoroughly discussed and ev-
erything relating to it can be found in the
conferences of the Berlin Anthropological
Society.
"As to the Hytohates, according to my
own Investigations and ideas, 1t is among
man-apes the one most closely resembling
human beings, and. therefore. anthropoid
/ am not in absolute opposition to Dubois
neither do / disagree with those BIOLOGISTS
who regard Dubois's anthropopithecus (the
name he gave to the creature whose bones
he found as hytobates or man-monkey
Those interested in the question should
remember that the ape theory is not new
by any means. Old Galenos already (born
A d. 1870 recognized the monkey in general
as the animal most resembling man. and
made this resemblance the basis of his in
struction in anatomy. That shows for one
thing. that the monkey theory has not
made much progress in the course of twen-
ty centuries In my opinion the stand taken
then by Galenos ought to satisfy specula-
tive minds. Objective thinkers, however
must demand more.
"As for myself, ii will be remembered
that. as a natural scientist, have always
made IL point to keep out of the specu-
lative element and proclaim the supremacy
of objective knowledge in natural science
the question of evolution, L think IL proper
TO add that some time previous to the pub
lication of Darwin's Origin of Species
ClS59), L exploited before the Congress of
German natural scientists and physicians
in Carlsruhe this theory: For those who
Will not accept the church dogma of the
creation, evolution Is the only possibility
left But from possibility to proof of eyo-
luton Is long way off, and of proof we
have none up TO date.
RUDOLF vIRCHOw."
Copyright by Henry W. Fischer.l