A REMARKABLE ANTICIPATION, ETC. 279 



by Professor Weistnann in favour of the non-transmission 

 of acquired characters. The deep significance of the 

 passages in question had been observed by Dr. Maurice 

 Davis, J. P., who brought them under the notice of his son- 

 in-law, Professor Meldola. 



In response to Professor Meldola's invitation to prepare 

 an account of this most interesting contribution to the 

 history of evolution, I read the work carefully and soon 

 found that other important ideas are anticipated in it. 



Thus, Prichard apprehended with perfect clearness that 

 domesticated races of animals and plants have been pro- 

 duced by the selection of man and not by favourable sur- 

 roundings, careful trainino- or cultivation. He believed 

 in the possibility of organic evolution and supported it by 

 excellent arguments which still have the strongest weight 

 to-day. He even recognised the operation of natural 

 selection although he assigned to it a subordinate r^/<?. 

 The most important anticipation is, however, the masterly 

 discussion on the transmission of acquired characters, 

 a discussion in which the distinction between acquired 

 and inherent or congenital characters is clearly drawn, and 

 many of the most difficult cases are fully argued out, the 

 conclusions reached being those independently arrived at 

 by Professor Weismann over half a century later. 



It is very remarkable that all this should have passed, 

 as I believe, unnoticed. The neglect can only be explained 

 by supposing that this particular edition was never consulted, 

 but that Darwin and others always went to later editions of 

 the same work. I shall be able to show that Prichard was 

 not very confident in the strength of his own conclusions 

 and, so far as I have consulted his later editions and works, 

 I find reason for the belief that his convictions weakened still 

 further. Indeed strong indications of uncertainty are to 

 be found in the second edition itself, although they are con- 

 fined to the later sections, and do not appear in close 

 proximity to the important conclusions which they never- 

 theless affect. 



It is certain that if Darwin had read this second edition 

 he would have given Prichard a high place in the account 



