RUDIMENTARY ORGANS OF ANIMALS 1 1 7 



degenerative changes attending the phylogenetic 

 development of an organism with such incontestable 

 certainty as does the existence of vestiges of rudi- 

 mentary organs. 



It is our belief that all organisms contain 

 vestiges of organs, either more or less apparent. 

 In our present condition of knowledge, however, 

 it is quite impossible particularly as regards 

 plants to prove this theory universally. It is 

 to be hoped, however, that future researches will 

 ultimately succeed in establishing it. 



In the meantime, we will point out the most 

 typical among the cases known to us. 



With animals, as with plants, our investigations 

 have extended not only to every kind of group, but 

 to the most varied systems of organs, thus giving 

 our theory an extremely wide application. 



SECTION I. 



Rudimentary Organs of Animals. 

 1. Rudimentary Organs in Man. 



Throughout the whole human organic systems 

 signs of degeneration abound. 



1. The Integumentary System. In the ancestors 

 of man, the entire surface of the skin was covered 

 with hairs. Man's clothing of hair is far from 

 perfect, the hairs of which it is composed being 

 rudimentary. 



