FROM LAIVIARCK TO ST. HILAIRE 253 



were collected. Under the influences of light, certain 

 elements, caloric and electric, entered these little 

 bodies. These corpuscles became capable of taking in 

 and exhaling gases ; vital movements began, and thus 

 an elemental plant or animal sprang into existence. 

 Possibly higher forms of life, such as infest the in- 

 testines, originate in this way. Nature is thus always 

 creating. 



After studying Lamarck and finding out how 

 much there is of great value in his system, we 

 have to record that he exerted astonishingly lit- 

 tle influence upon the thought of his time, and, 

 in France at least, was followed by only a single 

 writer until revived by Comte. It appears that 

 Goethe never knew of Lamarck's philosophy. 

 This was partly due to the stigma which was 

 placed upon the transmutation theory and to the 

 strong opposition to Lamarck's doctrine by Cu- 

 vier, the most influential naturalist of the time. 

 As Lamarck retired from active life after the 

 loss of his eyesight, he became a less and less 

 known figure; he could take no direct part in 

 spreading his doctrines and he left the arena of 

 discussion open to Cuvier and St. Hilaire. 



Lamarck, as a naturalist, exhibited exceptional 

 powers of definition and description, while in his 

 philosophical writings upon Evolution his specu- 

 lation far outran his observations, and his theory 

 suffered from the absurd illustrations which he 



