194 SYMBIOSIS 



il se fait que 1'animal acromegalique-geant soil encore capable, quoique 

 faiblement, de procreer [exemples : Elephants, Baleines, etc.]. 



This, it seems to me, is putting too fine a point upon the 

 distinction between morbidity and disease. Procreation per se, 

 to my mind, proves little ; it may proceed for a long time though 

 attended by disease. The good physician is he who recognises 

 such disease though masked by the remaining components of 

 health. 



We learn that the comparatively slight cases of human 

 acromegaly are much more common than is usually thought, 

 and it has been found that " les variations extremes de la taille 

 relevent toujours de causes pathologiques," with which I fully 

 agree. 



For a more exact account of the various " stigmates tera- 

 tologiques, psychiques, nevro-pathiques ; asymetries ; denivelle- 

 ments de la taille des families ; dystrophies gigantiques ; 

 dysharmonies de diverses parties du corps ; developpements 

 precoces," marking the degenerate types, I must refer the reader 

 to the book itself. We are told that " chez les Vertebres geants 

 les plus superieurs, tant actuels que fossiles, on ne constate que 

 rarement 1'absence des lesions anatomo-pathologiques de la 

 Dystrophie acromegalique." 



The exception, apparently, is formed by some cross-feeding 

 mammals, such as " Cervus Megaceros (fossile) et Cervus Wapiti 

 (actuellement en voie de disparition au Canada), chez lesquels 

 cette absence de lesions acromegaliques paraisse plus ou moins 

 etablie." 



Evidently cross-feeding is answerable for many circumstances 

 favourable to prolonged viability of the species. 



Man, according to the author, is affected by comparatively 

 simple forms of Gigantism, whilst 



les formes du Gigantisme acromegalique et de I'Acromegalie simple, 

 ou accompagnee de Nanisme, sont au contraire des types de dysostoses 

 appartenant pour ainsi dire exclusivement d la Diginirescence animale 

 actuelle et fossile. 



Dr. Larger is of opinion that the reason for the disparity 

 between human and animal gigantism must be sought in the 

 comparatively enormous cerebral differentiation of man . I would 

 rather say that the disparity has its source in the fact that man's 

 ancestors were symbiotic cross-feeders, far excelling in biological 

 integrity all other types, and, further that the graver forms of 



