250 



SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT. 



Cuvier's 

 catastro- 

 phism. 



40. 



Study of 

 analogies. 



These words, which embody a conception since appro- 

 priately termed " catastrophism," and which picture to 

 the mind's eye a succession of morphological changes of 

 the entire aspect of our globe, were written at a time 

 when, in this country especially, through the labours of 

 Hutton, an entirely opposite view was gradually pre- 

 paring. With this we shall deal in another chapter. 

 The Cuvierian conception of epochs in geology harmon- 

 ised with that of distinct types of organic creation. 

 These exhibit in space, as those do in time, certain definite 

 and distinct morphological characters i.e., certain typical 

 forms and structures on a vast or a small scale, around 

 which the features of events and individuals seem to 

 oscillate, and which permit us scientifically to classify, 

 describe, and comprehend them. This conception gave 

 the tone to a long line of researches on the Continent 

 and in this country in geology as well as in natural 

 history. 



In the study of these typical forms and structures in 

 which nature repeats herself, reverting again and again 

 to them, but in every single case departing more or less 

 from them ; in the study of this order without monotony, 

 this change without confusion, this variety of forms in 

 which leading features are always recognisable, the dis- 

 covery of analogies played a very prominent part. 

 Goethe's metamorphosis of plants is based upon the 

 analogy of their different organs : before he published 



forces qui agissent maintenant a la 

 surface de la terre, des causes suf- 

 fisantes pour produire lea reVolu- 

 tions et les catastrophes dont son 

 enveloppe nous montre les traces ; 



et si 1'on veut recourir aux forces ex- 

 te*rieures constantes connues jusqu'h 

 present, 1'on n'y trouve pas plus de 

 ressources" (ibid., p. 20). 



