126 THE MENDEL JOURNAL 



The truth is, if the inherent desires and instincts 

 are there, no environment which we can originate, 

 or maintain, or conceive, will render it impossible 

 for those instincts, or desires, or defects to 

 manifest themselves. We may as well try to 

 persuade ourselves that by removing food and 

 water from a community, we can thereby still the 

 pangs of hunger and thirst, as to believe that mani- 

 festations of other inborn qualities will not evidence 

 themselves in the absence of that positive environment 

 which we conceive to be necessary for their manifes- 

 tation. There is some danger that two different things 

 are being confused. We cannot, by any environment, 

 call into activity qualities which do not exist. 

 But neither can we suppress inherent qualities, or 

 even the ultimate manifestation of their activities, 

 merely because an appropriate environment is absent. 

 To take Dr. Cobbett's own example of the supposed 

 reduced mortality from consumption because of an 

 improved sanitation. Even though we grant, for the 

 sake of argument, that the reduced death-rate from 

 consumption may be due to those improved conditions 

 which have reduced or rendered more difficult of 

 multiplication the number or virulence of the tubercle 

 bacilli, are we sure we have also minimised the 

 manifestation of that human defectiveness which 

 results in this disease ? Pneumonia of recent years 

 has shown a decided tendency to increase. What is 

 that due to ? Is that, too, to be ascribed to improved 

 sanitation ? Are we quite sure that, in spite of an 

 environment which, we are told, is becoming more 

 and more unfavourable to the spread of tuberculosis. 



