48 HEREDITARY CHARACTERS 



injury in a particular manner, and, going through a process 

 of inflammation and repair, will produce scar tissue. This 

 reaction to injury is an inborn character, and the tissues 

 of the offspring react in a similar manner to the tissues of 

 the parent. Thus if a child receives a similar injury to his 

 nose to that which was received by the father, he will re- 

 produce a similar scar. He will do this, moreover, whether 

 he has inherited the characteristic shape of his father's nose 

 or not. 



A consideration of this case makes it clear that the 

 shape of the nose inherited from the father was an inborn 

 character, that is, it was present in the germ cell and 

 develops without any other stimulus than that of nourish- 

 ment. The scar, however, will never develop unless a 

 particular stimulus is applied, in this case the stimulus of 

 injury. Furthermore, unless the injury to the child's nose is 

 exactly similar to that inflicted on the father's nose, the scar 

 will not be the same. 



In considering the mental characters of man we are 

 forced to the conclusion that almost all are acquirements, 

 and that very little besides consciousness, memory, capacities 

 for making various acquirements, and a few instincts is 

 inborn. All the other characters are acquirements de- 

 pendent upon the existence of consciousness and memory 

 in the individual. It must be clearly understood that 

 here memory is used as meaning the power of mentally 

 recording impressions upon the consciousness, that is, the 

 storing up of the past experiences. The records them- 

 selves are of course acquirements. The power of thought 

 is entirely dependent upon consciousness and memory, and 

 is therefore an acquirement. Besides consciousness and 

 memory, certain mental aptitudes are also undoubtedly 

 inborn characters ; thus a child of a great calculator may 

 be born with a great aptitude for figures. Under ordinary 

 conditions of environment the necessary stimulus will be 

 applied, and the child's capacity in calculating will be 

 developed in proportion to his inherited aptitude to a very 



