Experiments in Plant-Hybridization 



GREGOR MENDEL 



This paper needs no introductioji. It is the original classic paper o?i 

 the theory of the gene, a?jd the coriierstone of the sciejice of genetics. 

 The paper njoas translated from Gerfimn i?ito English by William 

 Bateson, and has beeji reprifited several ti?nes. 



MendeVs results are presented in a clear-cut and straightforward 

 fashion, ajid his paper is fairly easy to read a?id understand. There 

 have been comments made that Mendel was either very lucky or 

 tampered with his data, because his restdts are abnost miracidously 

 close to perfect. Persofially, I think both of these charges are arrant 

 nonsense. Luck has little to do with results slowly accumulated over 

 eight years'" time. The results are the consequence of painstakingly 

 careful attejition to detail, followed by i?itellige?it analysis of a mass 

 of accumulated data. As to the second charge, that he t. light have 

 arranged his data so as to shed the best possible light on his con- 

 clusions, I believe that the only way he might have ma7iipzdated his 

 data is through oviissioyi of certain results that woidd have led to un- 

 necessary complications. When Mendel specified that his experime?its 

 were to deal with ^^consta?itly differe?itiating characters'^ that oc- 

 curred in pairs, he relieved himself of the necessity of considering 

 some of the interrelatio7iships that exist in genetic phenomena, and 

 which will be discussed in the Bateson and Punnett papers (see pp. 

 44 and 54). Mendel probably knew of these interrelationships, be- 

 cause he tested many characters before selecting the seven pairs he 

 used. The fact that he chose to utilize only those characteristics that 

 fitted his concepts ca?mot be interpreted as an act of dishonesty on 

 his part. As I see it, he recognized several of the basic cojicepts of 

 heredity, a?id prese?ited as Jimch of his data as was necessary to 

 validate those co?icepts. 



I have not included the last few pages of MendeVs original paper, 

 which dealt with experi?ne?its on hybrids of other species of plants, 

 and with re?narks on certain other questions of heredity. These 

 paragraphs have little bearijig on the prificiples MeJidel proposed in 

 this paper, arid I have found fro?n experience with my students that 

 these pages sei've primarily to confuse rather tha?i to clarify. 



