HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE RUDIMENTARY ORGANS. 439 



the male, only the lower extremities of these ducts remain, 

 forming the useless male uterus (vesicula prostatica). In 

 the nipples and mammary glands, the male possesses other 

 rudimentary organs which, as a rule, are functional only in 

 the female (p. 204). 



A closer anatomical examination of the human body 

 would bring to our notice a number of other rudimentary 

 organs, all of which can be explained only by the Theory of 

 Descent. They are among the most important evidences for 

 the truth of the mechanical theory of nature, and among the 

 most overwhelming proofs against the prevailing teleological 

 ideas of creation. If, in accordance with this latter view, Man 

 and every other organism had been designed for his life- 

 purpose from the beginning, and had been called into existence 

 by an act of creation, the existence of these rudimentary 

 organs would be an incomprehensible enigma ; it would be 

 impossible to understand why the Creator should have laid 

 this useless burden on his creatures in their life-journey, so 

 arduous at the best. On the other hand, b} r means of the 

 Theory of Descent we can explain their existence in the 

 most simple way, and say : The rudimentary organs arc 

 parts of the body, which, in the course of centuries, 

 have gradually fallen out of use ; organs which performed 

 definite functions in our animal ancestors, but which, in 

 us, have lost their physiological importance. They have 

 become useless in consequence of our adaptation to new 

 circumstances, but yet are transmitted from generation to 

 generation by heredity, and have only slowly atrophied. 



Like these rudimentary organs, so also all the other 

 organs of our body have been transmitted to us from 



Mammals, and, immediately, from our Ape ancestors. The 



42 



