CHAPTER III. 



BASIS OF INVESTIGATION. 



It having been shown that the problem before us is to determine 

 whether acquired characters are or are not transmitted to the off- 

 spring, it becomes necessary to define the range within which such 

 inquiry should be carried. It may be admitted in advance that not 

 all acquired characters are the results of the functional activity of 

 those organs with which they are associated, and consequently that 

 if non-functional characters become inherited, such inheritance is 

 not due to use. Thus, hair which was originally straight may 

 become wavy, that which was light may become dark, or that 

 which was dark may become white. It is difficult to conceive how 

 such changes could be due to any activity of the hair, and they 

 certainly are not due to free will actions on the part of the 

 individual. It is true that hair which was rough and coarse may, 

 by care and attention, become smooth and fine, and it is possible 

 that such an acquired character may become hereditary, but that is 

 quite different from a case in which the character is acquired 

 through the use of the organ itself. 



ORGANS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS. 



To find the effects of use we should choose an organ which has 

 a functional activity of its own, and one in which such activity is 

 within the control of the individual. An organ and its function are 

 not the same, and the functional activity and power of an organ 

 does not necessarily correspond to the size and shape of the organ. 

 A finger is made of muscle, bone, blood vessels, nerves and skin, 



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