Evening star., 1954-11-26
No. 3 in q Series Of Six

sASNA
and have acquired some sort Of
balance. Perhaps / per cent of
the changes have been advan-
tageous. These are credited with
being responsible primarily for
the progress of races.
The diSadvantageous ones tend
to accumuate until they are elm
mated, one by one through the
elimination of a genetic line In
which they appear. The accumu-
lation Of these Instantaneous
ones. it is estimated by DR.. Her.
man j. Muller Of the University
OF Indiana, is responsible for
about a 90 per cent shortening of
life and lowering of efficiency
for the majority of mankind
that is, compared to the situa-
ton II no bad genes" were pres
ent.,
Now, In the present generation,
the geneticists point out, two
forces have appeared which alter
somewhat the overall picture
perhaps catastrophically.
The Cause Of Mutations.
What causes mutations?
Doubtless many tllings--heat,
chemicals. perhaps even the proc
ess of aging. More than 25
years ago DR.. Muller himself
demonstrated for the first time
that they could be brought about
in predictable percentages in
fruit fly colonies by various in
tensities Of x-radiation. He has
been deeply concerned over ex-
posure OF man to radiation ever
since-even the amounts ham
died by physicians, dentists and.
more especially. shoe filters who
have no scientific training.
Radiation is the only known
cause of mutations which is in
creasing on earth. This increase
in unquestionable, although the
amount is debatable. It is the
contribution of the atomic age"
with radioactive forms of ele-
ments constantly being created.
This is the first, but perhaps
not significant, development in
this generation. Second is the
unparalleled development of
medicinal chemicals and biotics.
The accumulation OF bad
hereditary changes in the past
has not been a steady progress.
Even slightly Instantaneous
genes have tended to be elimi-
mated through failure of the unfit
to reproduce. Over long periods
this would include the very
slightly unfit whose Ills cannot
be diagnosed. This was part of
the eternal struggle for exist
ence, the basis of evolution.
!, Now this struggle for mere
existence for a considerable part
of the human race has ceased.
or been changed to a consider
ably different level. Physically
those who otherwise might have
perished early from slight genetic
n1isfunctionings are preserved
to a ripe old age and have about
as good q chance as anybody else
to pass on their detrimental
genes These continue to pile
up in the germ plasm Of the race
as the rate of their elimination
is accelerated.
Evolution VS.. Medicine.
Evolution apparently is in a
race with medicine. # the det-
rimental genes which constantly
are appearing continue to pile
up, DR.. Muller says, there
would be no limit short of the
complete loss Of all the genes,
or their degradation into COM
pletely unrecognizable forms,
differing chaotically from one
individual in the population to
another.
"Our descendants natural bio
logical organization would, in
fact. have disintegrated and been
replaced by complete disorder.
Their only connection with man
kind would then be the historical
one that we ourselves had been
their ancestors and sponsors and
the fact that their once e-human
material was still used for the