Essays on Life 



ovum into an organism, and that this part of 

 the germ-plasm serves as a foundation from 

 which the germ-cells of the new organism are 

 produced. There is, therefore, continuity of 

 the germ-plasm from one generation to an- 

 other. One might represent the germ-plasm 

 by the metaphor of a long creeping root-stock 

 from which plants arise at intervals, these 

 latter representing the individuals of suc- 

 cessive generations." 1 



Mr. Wallace, who does not appear to have 

 read Professor Weismann's essays themselves, 

 but whose remarks are, no doubt, ultimately 

 derived from the sequel to the passage just 

 quoted from page 266 of Professor Weis- 

 mann's book, contends that the impossibility 

 of the transmission of acquired characters 

 follows as a logical result from Professor 

 Weismann's theory, inasmuch as the mole- 

 cular structure of the germ-plasm that will 

 go to form any succeeding generation is 

 already predetermined within the still un- 

 formed embryo of its predecessor ; " and 

 Weismann," continues Mr. Wallace, "holds 



1 " Essays on Heredity/' &c., Oxford, 1889, p. 266. 

 280 



