210 SUPER-ORGANIC EVOLUTION 



" According to our views, the nervous system is 

 not only limited to securing organic solidarity (an 

 action evidenced by pathology), but its influence is 

 much more important. According to us, it is the 

 principal agent of the action that each organism 

 exercises upon its descendants, or, if you will, of 

 each individual upon the species, and by its means 

 the one has influence over the other. 



" The heredity of acquired characteristics, conse- 

 quently of functional adaptations and differences, 

 suited to each organism, is reduced, according to us, 

 to one special cerebro-medullar reflex action upon 

 the germinating cells; by means of the nervous 

 system are transmitted to this cell all the impres- 

 sions acquired and developed by the individual. 

 We conceive that the impressions perceived by the 

 organism and registered by the cerebro-spinal axis 

 determine two modes of reflection; one includes 

 the reflections designed to assure the adaptation of 

 the organism to changes in the internal or external 

 conditions of its existence ; the other mode includes 

 those designed to prepare the adaptation of the 

 descendants, represented here by the germinating 

 cells, in regard to these changes. This means that 

 the modifications of the organism, whatever they 

 may be, react upon the germinating cells and are 

 susceptible consequently of disclosing themselves 

 in the descendants. If these modifications are 



