Experiments in Grafting 287 



correspond with that of the other. If, for instance, the nervous 

 system of one piece is not opposite the nervous system of the 

 other piece, regeneration at the place of union may subsequently 

 occur. The nervous system is the most important factor in the 

 result ; for it acts as a center for the formation of the new part, 

 which may be a head or a tail, or two heads, etc., according to the 

 region that regenerates at the union. In some cases where the 

 cut ends of the nervous system are not exactly opposite they find 

 each other, and become united by a connective of nerve tissue, 

 derived from the ectoderm of the region of union. The further 

 the cut ends of the nervous cord are apart, the less likely are they 

 to unite, and regeneration from one or from both cut ends is 

 more likely to take place. 



Born has shown that cut surfaces of very young tadpoles may 

 be united, and he has made a great variety of combinations of 

 these embryos. The method of grafting is very simple. The 

 tadpoles are taken from the jelly capsules, cut in two with a 

 sharp knife, and the cut ends quickly brought in contact with 

 each other. The pieces are held in place by means of small 

 blocks of silver.^ The combinations are permanent, and in no 

 case does regeneration take place from the cut surface even 

 when Hke organs are not united. The tail region of one animal 

 has been united to various parts of the body of another animal, 

 where it remains attached and continues to develop, producing 

 its normal structures. In one case, the tail grafted upon the 

 ventral surface of another individual showed signs of being 

 absorbed at the time of metamorphosis, when the normal tail 

 was absorbed. 



These results of grafting pieces upon parts of the body, differ- 

 ent from those with which the part in question is continuous 

 under normal conditions, show that the development of the part 

 is due to self-differentiation, and that its development is not 

 dependent on relation of the part to the rest of the organism. 



Parts of planarians have been grafted together by Mrs. Mor- 



1 I have found that bent pieces of aluminium wire and short straight pieces of 

 the same wire cut off very obliquely can be used to hold the pieces together. 



