395 



MENDELISM AND MICROSCOPY. 



By D. J. Scourfield, F.R.M.S. 

 {Read May 18th, 1906.) 



In spite of the very considerable amount of discussion that has 

 taken place in certain sections of the biological world during the 

 last six years on the subject of Mendelism, it can hardly be 

 assumed that even the general outlines of this new branch of 

 scientific knowledge and work are as yet very widely known. It 

 is proposed, therefore, in the present paper, to devote in the first 

 instance some attention to an elucidation of Mendelism — to 

 consider, in fact, some details about Mendel himself, about what 

 he did and how he explained his results — and to follow up the 

 extensions in fact and theory which the subject has undergone 

 in recent years. When this has been done it will be possible 

 to go on to a consideration of the relations existing between 

 Mendelism and various phases of microscopical investigation. 



Mendelism is, of course, only a convenient term for the doctrine 

 embodied in what is now known as Mendel's Law of Heredity. 

 There is no need for me to say anything to arouse interest in the 

 subject of heredity, for it is recognised by all as being of the 

 utmost importance. Until quite recently an enormous number 

 of facts accumulated in connection with this matter have been 

 unclassified and apparently unclassifiable. Now, at last, we 

 seem to have a clue to a certain number, at any rate, of these 

 disconnected and supposed contradictory facts, and that clue is 

 Mendel's law. 



But some of you are no doubt asking, " Who was Mendel, and 

 how did he come to formulate a law of heredity ? " 



So far as Gregor Mendel himself is concerned the facts are 

 briefly as follows. He was a native of Austrian Silesia, being 

 born at Heinzendorf, near Odrau, as long ago as 1822. In 18-43 

 he entered the Augustine monastery at Briinn ; but it was not 

 until about 1854, after having studied natural science for a few 

 years at Vienna, that he commenced the systematic experiments 



