/ 

 / 



LEGACY OF THE GREEKS. 65 



in science is a high order of curiosity, led on by 

 ambition to overcome obstacles. 



The first biological question asked by the Greeks 

 was as to the origin of life ; and extremely early 

 arose the doctrine of Anaximander, that all life 

 originated in spontaneous generation from the 

 water. Later this was somewhat modified into the 

 doctrine that life originated in the primordial ter- 

 restrial slime, or mingling of earth and water, 

 especially along the emerging shores of the earth. 

 This was held by Empedocles. Later still, quite a 

 distinct idea was put forth by Anaxagoras, that life 

 originated in the coming together and development 

 of pre-existent germs in the air or ether, animals 

 and plants springing directly from them. This 

 origin of life from germs, of course surreptitiously 

 placed the problem only one degree further back, 

 apparently, but not really evading the diifiiculty. 

 It was a fruitful idea, and thereafter many of the 

 doctrines as to the origin of life contained the con- 

 ception of primordial germs. Aristotle came near- 

 est the modern conception of protozoan primordial 

 life when he wrote that all animals and plants origi- 

 nated in germs composed of soft masses of matter, 

 although he inconsistently taught that even some 

 of the higher forms sprang directly from the earth, 

 leaving out the germ stage altogether. 



The real Evolution idea among the Greeks had 

 its roots in the notion of the changing rather than 

 of the fixed order of things, which came from 



