56 Heredity and Social Progress 



in his nervous system or in parts closely re- 

 lated to it. The reduction would take place 

 in the part affected by the emotion and not 

 in the injured part. The regeneration that 

 follows the reduction would also be in the 

 part affected by the emotion and not in the 

 part injured. There would, therefore, be no 

 tendency to replace a lost limb, because in its 

 region there would be no reduction on which 

 the regeneration depends. 



The separation of the injury from the reduc- 

 tion and regeneration may be even greater. 

 The injury may affect one being and the emo- 

 tion affect others. The person involved may 

 die and yet the emotional effect be perpetu- 

 ated by those who saw or heard of the injury, 

 and in them the reduction and regeneration 

 takes place. A shocking accident or a ca- 

 tastrophe may affect the whole community 

 and modify thousands that were not in the 

 least concerned in it. Suppose again that a 

 beast of prey attacks a herd of deer and kills 

 some of them. The emotional effects are 

 in those who escape, and not in those cap- 

 tured, and the changes in them due to their 



