New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-12-27
SCIENTISTS HEAR
ABOUT HERED|TY
Evidence Of Power Of Laws Of
Growth Presented
BY COLEMAN b. JONES

ASSOCIATED Press Science Editor)
New York. Dec. ~ LP)-New evil
dence Of the power of the laws OF
growth. heredity and instinct was
presented today to the American AS
ISOLATION For the Advancement Of
Science and Affiliated Societies.
Indications that social institutions,
human beings. animals and plants
are all subject to similar flaws of
growth" which cover their periods
of development, maturity and de-
cline, were advanced by DR.. r. Stuart
Chaplin of the University Of Mime
sofa.
He suggested that if such Flaw"
could be established for social in
stitutions, it would become possible
to predict and control their future
development.
First Findings
His findings. described as "pre-
liminary." were based on a study of
changes affecting the commission
plan of government. the city mama
ger plan. the government OF Mime
sofa. and the city government of Dc
troit. which he compared with
changes that occur in animals be-
tween birth and death.
"Our study shows" he said. that
the total changes of four political
institutions for a period of years
may be described as a growth
tendency not unlike the growth prin-
ciple OF animal organisms"
Prof. Austin Ralph Middleton of
the University Of louisville demon
strated that an hereditary tendency
lasts at least as long as the time re-
quired to breed it.
His experiments were made with a
single-celled creature called para
mecium. After three sets of these
animals were fed on different diets
for about month. they developed
different rates OF birth"
A paramecium really has no
birth" in the ordinary sense, but
about once a day divides into two
cells, each of which is an adult.
After changing these normal periods
of cell division into periods of diff
ferent length, Prof. Middleton took
away the special diets which brought
this about and returned all three
groups to their normal dict. The
newly acquired birth rates, however.
persisted in each group las long as
or longer than" the time required
to develop the traits.
Others Show Work
Two other investigators, Prof.
combe Of the University of Virginia.
showed that basic instinct can live
on through generation after genera
tion even though the reason for its
existence has been removed.
They experimental with a COM
pick instinct involving both theft and
self protection in a species OF worm.
This creature normally Kills and eats
small animals known at hydra.
which have singing substances In
their bodies for protection.
After the worm has eaten the
hydra, it appropriates the protec-
tive singers. which appears on its
own body. For Il generations.
however. worms of this species were
kept without need of hydra eating.
either for food or self protection.
but when members of the 2cnd gem
Grafton we're given chance. they
ate the hydra and took
possession of its protective singers
in the normal fashion.
Attempts to destroy the instinct
were made by cutting worm in two
and allowing the tail half TO gro"
into a new worm, and by keeping the
worms for mating, causing them to
reproduce only by dividing into two
worms. The instinct to consume
hydra. however. survived even this
test, the Virginia scientists asserted.