CHAPTER VII 



THE TRANSMISSION OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERS 



" A right answer to the question whether acquired characters are or are 

 not inherited underlies right beliefs, not only in Biology and Psychology, 

 but also in Education, Ethics, and Politics." 



HERBERT SPENCER. 



I. Importance of the Question. 



2. Historical Note. 



3. Definition of the Problem. 



4. Many Misunderstandings as to the Question at Issue. 



5. Various Degrees in which Parental Modifications 



might affect the Offspring. 



6. Widespread Opinion in favour of Affirmative Answer. 

 7. General Argument against the Transmissibility of 



Modifications. 



8. General, Argument for the Transmissibility of Modi- 

 fications. 

 9. Particular Evidences in support of the Affirmative 



Answer. 



10. As regards Mutilations and the Like. 

 ii. Brown-Sequard's Experiments on Guinea-pigs. 

 12. Negative Evidence in favour of the Affirmative Answer. 

 13. The Logical Position of the Argument. 

 14. Indirect Importance of Modifications. 

 15. Practical Considerations. 



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