CHAPTER XXVIII. 



CLASSIFICATION 



It has already been shown that one may classify living things as to 

 structure or function, that is, as to anatomy or physiology. The early 

 naturalists felt that the most important thing in the study of living mat- 

 ter consisted in finding names and assigning definite places for every 

 distinct individual. A little later morphology, or anatomy, was consid- 

 ered most important. Still later physiology, or the way an animal per- 

 forms vital activities, was the all important thing. Then with the dis- 

 covery that urea, an organic compound, could be manufactured in the 



laboratory, much stress was laid upon chem- 

 istry. It was formerly quite common for nat- 

 uralists to look for differences, in order to 

 classify the individual, while now we look 

 primarily for similarities in order to understand 

 the close relationships which bind individuals 

 into a common group. 



Classification is now no longer the prime 

 factor in the study of biology and men who are 

 interested only in assigning names and group- 

 ings are not considered scientists. It must not 

 be forgotten, however, that there could be no 

 science possible, and biologists would be un- 

 able to discuss their work intelligently with 

 each other unless some method could be found 



Fig. 249. 



Carl von Linne, 1707-1778. 

 From G. Stuart Gager's 



"Fundamentals of Botany" by by which each would know what the other was 



permission of P. Blakiston's 



Son & Co., Publishers. talking aDOUt. 



It is therefore well to know several of the important naturalists 

 whose names are most intimately associated with this particular phase 

 of Biology. 



John Ray (1627-1705), an Englishman, was the first real systematist. 



Following him came Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linne, 1707-1778), 

 who is in reality the found.er of our present method of classifying. In 

 fact, one of the distinguished honors that may come to a Botanist is to 

 be elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society. Linne's important work 

 was his Systema Naturae, consisting of twelve volumes, which appeared 

 between the years 1735 and 1768. There was a thirteenth volume added 

 after his death. Linnaeus practically completed Ray's classification. He 

 used structure as the basis of classification. There were six classes, four 

 of which were vertebrate and two invertebrate. These classes were in 



