GERMINAL SELECTION 157 



off in the parent, could not reappear in the offspring, 

 the complex of determinants being transmitted ex- 

 actly as it happens to be found at the time of trans- 

 mission. And thus the Lamarckian idea of the 

 inheritance of acquired characters creeps into the 

 Weismannian doctrine. 



Moreover, Roux's idea of the struggle between parts 

 is related to the idea of the development of an organ 

 by use, as we will show when we examine Roux's the- 

 ory of functional stimulation. By accepting this 

 idea, Weismann to a certain extent countenances the 

 Lamarckian point of view. 



In other words, the theory of germinal selection is 

 in name only a selection theory and it is simply 

 Weismann's method of presenting the facts which re- 

 minds the reader of natural selection as understood 

 by Darwin. A Lamarckian could well admit the 

 struggle between determinants and describe it in 

 terms which would hardly differ from those used by 

 Weismann, barring the fact that he would not men- 

 tion the initial differences. A Lamarckian might 

 say, for instance: "Under favourable conditions of 

 nutrition, determinants grow and multiply actively; 

 the parts of the organism shaped by them become 

 more highly developed and transmit their variations 

 to the offspring. " 



Finally Weismann's statement as to the universal 

 application of Malthus' principle is merely due to a 



