I9I2] Wilder D. Bancroft 385 



beneficial to the organism as a whole. Developing the muscles in 

 itself is a good thing; but if it puts a strain on the heart, the sum 

 total of the effects may be bad. A striking instance of this occurs 

 in the case of alcohol. The man, who can carry his hquor better 

 than formerly, has responded beneficially as far as that particular 

 aspect of the external Stimulus is concerned ; but it would be f oolish 

 to claim that hard drinking ought, therefore, to be beneficial in all 

 ways. And yet this is practically what MacDougaP does. " It 

 is unanimously agreed that organisms, plants as well as animals, 

 change individually in aspect, in form and structure of the organs, 

 in functionation and habit as they encounter swamps, saline areas, 

 gravelly uplands or slopes, climatic differences identifiable with lati- 

 tude or elevation, and other physical and biological factors. It is 

 assumed that these somatic alterations are accommodative and adapt- 

 ive, making the organisms more suitable for the conditions which 

 produce the changes. Such an assumption is an over-reaching one. 

 Any analysis of the changes which an organism undergoes after 

 transportation to a new habitat will disclose one or a few alterations 

 which might be of advantage in dealing with the newly encountered 

 conditions, but with these are many others, direct, necessitous, 

 atrophic or hypertrophic as to organs which have no relations what- 

 ever to usefulness or fitness." 



It is quite clear from this Quotation that MacDougal has never 

 had a clear conception of the problem as it presents itself to the 

 chemist. It is also clear that no satisfactory progress can be ex- 

 pected so long as people consider total changes only, and do not 

 differentiate them at least into primary and secondary changes. It 

 is very much to be desired that some ambitious young man should 

 go over the literature in regard to the effect of environment on the 

 organism during its lifetime, discussing it critically and from a 

 rational point of view. It would not be so amusing as trying to 

 produce mutants artificially; but it is quite possible that the net 

 result to science might be greater. 



The proper time to study the problem of the inheritance of 

 adaptations is after we have cleared up the question of adaptations 

 during the lifetime of the organism. The fates have forced our 

 hand and consequently it is necessary to discuss some portions of 



'MacDougal: Science, 33, 95 (1911). 



