A. liL'CG-GL'NN. — SOCIOLUGRIAL ANDOTllER ASPECTS OK TU1-: l MT-CllAltACÏEli CO.NCIJ'TIO. -.'O.". 



melaphor, if tlie gamètes eonlain the iinil-cliaracler éléments, and Ihe soma 

 llie niolecular compounds, 1 venture to put forward the suggestion that in tliis 

 plienomenon \ve liave an additional tliough |irobably united cause of variation. 

 It is obvious that each member of an alleloniorphic pair inay each successive 

 génération form an entirely new helerozygous coinbination giviiig rise to an 

 entirely new Somalie feature in each instance. There are of course well defined 

 limits; when the unitcharacter in question is a « présence » factor and each 

 successive alleloniorphic pair formed in the courte of descent is a « présence » 

 and « absence », i)air naturally dominance will be cxhibited and no variation 

 occur. Further such variation is wholly confined to lieterozygotes and in con- 

 seciucnce can never become « fixed ». Ils practical importance ho\\ever is, 

 I Ijelieve, considérable and the lantcrii slidc w liich 1 now pi'oceed to show you 

 will illustrate more clearly the 

 point I hâve endeavoured to 

 make. The organism or holo- 

 pliyle, lo use a convenieni 

 tcrm suggested by Berry Hart, 

 is represented by two squares 

 a large (S) the soma and a 

 sinaller(G) thegamelic portion. 

 Thèse are further subdivided 

 into squares, each one of wliich 

 represents one of the unils 

 which together COnstilute the Diagnimmalic liepresenlalion of Simpicst llnuleliaii llalio 



X 



;irt<M- ticrrv ll.M-t. 



ad, fini. 



individual. iStrictly speaUing 

 each square in ('■ represents 



one gamète; to be quite accurate each subdivision ol' (j sliould be further sub- 

 dividetl to contain an equal number of squares to (S), i The squares in are of 

 course the équivalent of two unils in G; the two unils beingsprobably combined 

 or al any rate devoid of the interdependence e.xhibitcd in G and for Ihis reason 

 in my opinion a polential cause of varialion. As to the nature of thèse unils we 

 ar<' still in the dark. tlieir place in a chemical or morphological schéma has yel 

 lu bc delermined. That Ihey originale and probably conlrol the complex 

 workings of Somalie development appears an eminenlly reasonable assuniplion; 

 Ihal Ihey resemble in some particulars the bodies known as enzymes is a sta- 

 temenl e(|ually jusliliable; and thaï further it is conceivable thaï Ihey niay bc 

 cheinically classified as catalysts is a suggestion I am tempted to mal\i.>. 



But, apart from their true nature, and aparl from the relalionship that 

 exisls between Ihe pairs in Ihe Somalie tissues, the lighl Ihrown upon the cha- 

 racler of the individual Ihey compose by Uns conception of his (■onstitution, 

 seems to mean all-imporlantonc. Wehaveto think of the individual organism 

 in lerms of lus unit-characters: we hâve in short, reduced him, immcasurably 

 complex though lie oflen is, lo a mère aggregale of delinile unils. Even man 

 we niusl now regard as in essence nolhing more Ihan a vasl, highly complex 

 aggregale of unil-characlers which, faithfully, in miniature or tabloid fonn, 

 mirror every trait, every funclion and every feature of his composite physical, 

 and in ail probability mental and moral being also. Il is worthy of note thaï 

 such an aggregale niusl be capable of assuming, like any olher aggregale, a 

 stable or an unstable pallern, and that a field niay exist hère for Ihe opération 



