EEGRESSION 93 



monstrous quantity of nutriment ; the parts of plants do not 

 struggle, yet they develop according to the needs of the 

 organisms. 



158. Weismann, perceiving all these difficulties and 

 having no faith in miracles, formulated a theory of " Germinal 

 Selection " in which he transfers the struggle for nutriment 

 from the parts of the organism to the " determinants " of the 

 germ-plasm. According to him the body arises from 

 determinants in the germ-plasm. A weak determinant pro- 

 duces a minus (regressive) variation. Being weak, it is 

 vanquished in the struggle for food by stronger determinants 

 and so grows weaker. If the part it produces is useful, the 

 individual who has the minus variation perishes by Natural 

 Selection ; the race being continued by individuals in whom 

 the part is better developed. If it is useless he survives. 

 Since there is continuity of the germ-plasm, the process of 

 weakening continues with added force in successive genera- 

 tions till at length the determinant perishes and the part 

 disappears. In the total absence of all evidence of real 

 existence of determinants it is, of course, impossible to deal 

 with the hypothesis with profit. It is the airiest pinnacle on 

 a very airy edifice of speculation. Moreover, it is quite 

 unnecessary as an explanation of regression. All the 

 phenomena of regression are sufficiently explained by known 

 facts. Furthermore, Weismann's theory of regression is 

 founded on his theory of heredity, which, in turn, is founded 

 on the supposition that the progressive variations are due to 

 bi-parental reproduction. Since it is evident that they are 

 not, his whole hypothesis collapses. 



159. Somewhat similar or analogous to the views of Weis- 

 mann are those of Dr. J. Beard of Edinburgh. 1 Dr. Beard is an 

 acute and accurate observer, but his reasoning is by no means 

 easy to follow. He appears to maintain that in bi-parental 

 reproduction the (potential) characters of the parents are 

 mingled, not combined, in the germ-tract till " the epoch of the 

 formation of the primary germ-cells," much as two differently 

 coloured packs of cards may be mingled. " There will be in 

 every cell two representatives of each character or quality." 

 In the primary germ-cells one representative of each character 

 or quality is eliminated or rendered latent in the process of 

 " reduction/' the one best suited to the environment being pre- 

 served or rendered active. Selection, therefore, occurs within 

 the germ-cells, and as a consequence individuals generally 

 tend, as regards any character, to resemble the superior more 



1 Review of Neurology and Psychiatry, March 1904, p. 184, et seq. 



