130 THE THEORIES OF EVOLUTION 



for the idea of elementary characters, the idea of 

 representative particles would not have made as much 

 headway as it has. When we come to Weismann's 

 theories we will discuss in detail the notion of charac- 

 ter representation. At present we will only discuss 

 Naegeli's own and original hypothesis relative to the 

 micella? and their groupings. 



Not only are the grouping of micella?, their fila- 

 ments and cords, and all the other details carefully 

 and accurately described by Naegeli, arbitrary sup- 

 positions which find no confirmation in the existing 

 organic structures, but this hypothesis is so fragile 

 that the slightest change in one detail endangers the 

 whole edifice. What is very difficult to understand 

 is why the various cords should pass from an active 

 to a dormant state, the time at which this transition 

 occurs being different for every point of every cord. 

 As a micellar cord is uniform along its whole length, 

 what influences cause sections thereof to pass from one 

 state into another? We know that Naegeli does not 

 recognise the influence of external factors; growth 

 and tension must affect the whole cord and can not be 

 purely local phenomena; varying degrees of excita- 

 bility could account for it but they would also result 

 from a variable structure of the cord at different 

 points which is a contradiction of the fundamental 

 hypothesis. 



Naegeli's whole system is based upon the conception 



