CHAPTEK V 



LAMARCK AND LAMARCKISM 



Zoological philosophy Spontaneous generation of germs Plan of pre- 

 existing progression Influence of wants and habits First attempt 

 at a genealogy of beings. 



No one could refuse to Lamarck the glory of having 

 been the first to gather together in a really scientific and 

 doctrinal form the scattered hypotheses then current, 

 concerning the variability of species and the transition 

 from one animated form to another through gradual 

 modifications. But after rendering to the learned 

 classifier of theAnimaux sans vertebres the just tribute 

 of admiration due to him, it is easy to explain to 

 oneself at once the trifling success of works such as 

 the Philosophic Zoologique and the slight influence 

 they exerted on the minds of contemporary natura- 

 lists. A cumbrous and diffuse style sometimes 

 barely intelligible, incessant and useless repetitions, 

 a dogmatic exposition too rarely illustrated by 

 concrete examples briefly quoted and often ill- 

 chosen, and endless digressions into the domain of 

 physics, render the reading of Lamarck's philosophi- 

 cal works at once arduous and of little profit to the 

 naturalist. The contrast is striking with the con- 

 cise and exact documentation of the works of 

 Georges Cuvier, the contemporary and colleague of 

 Lamarck in another chair of the Paris Museum, 



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