THE HEREDITARY BASIS 19 



lower forms of life. It is fortunate for the solution of many of our. 

 problems that we are so closely affiliated with the brute creation. 

 This is especially the case in regard to the problems invoking a 

 knowledge of human heredity, for we may learn more of this subject 

 by studying heredity in other forms than by studying the heredity 

 of man himself. Unfortunately, however, for many problems of 

 the highest importance we cannot directly avail ourselves of our 

 knowledge of the heredity of lower forms. Many of the qualities 

 that make human beings socially desirable or the reverse do not 

 have their strict counterparts in the animal w r orld, and often they 

 represent complex states influenced greatly in their expression by 

 environmental agencies and hence presenting almost insuperable 

 difficulties in the way of resolution into their component heredi- 

 tary factors. In the following three chapters we shall deal with 

 the transmission of some of the traits which are of greatest impor- 

 tance in regard to the progress of the race. 



We cannot close this preliminary chapter on inheritance with- 

 out some discussion of the relative importance of heredity and 

 environment in the development of man, especially since the 

 question is one upon which there exists an extraordinary amount 

 of confusion of thought. The question, Which is the more 

 important, heredity or environment? has provoked endless dis- 

 cussion. To argue over the question in its general and unqualified 

 form is futile, since both heredity and environment are absolutely 

 essential to every organism. The difficulty is much like asking 

 which is the more important for the maintenance of life, matter 

 or energy? Heredity under the same environment makes the 

 difference between a cow, bird, insect or plant. Environment 

 may make all the difference between a normal organism and a 

 monstrosity or between a living organism and no organism at all. 

 Every organism is a function of both hereditary and environmen- 

 tal factors. We may express this in the formula O=/(HE). Alter 

 either H (heredity) or E (environment) and the O is changed. 

 Without either H or E the organism would not exist. We cannot 

 say that in general one is more important than the other because 

 each is all important. 



