vii] DISPUTED QUESTIONS 97 



On the whole, the hypothesis of the inheritance 

 of acquired characters must be regarded as 'not 

 proven/ and our increasing knowledge of the definite- 

 ness of many germinal characters makes it doubtful 

 whether it can be a faqtor of great importance in the 

 constitution of the individual, or to the course of 

 evolution. Some further evidence in this direction 

 will be given in the next chapter 1 . 



A few minor questions remain. One of these, 

 which has played a considerable part in biological 

 literature, is the alleged phenomenon called Telegony. 



1 The recent evidence which has been brought forward on the 

 subject warns us against a dogmatic denial of the possibility of the 

 inheritance of acquired modifications. The number of cases recorded 

 is now considerable, in which adaption to changed environment, 

 either of structure or instinct, appears to be transmitted to the next 

 generation. The tendency of biological thought is certainly towards 

 a recognition of the unity of the organism as a whole, including 

 its germ-cells, and especially where the organism adapts itself to 

 change, it seems possible that this adaptation is transmissible. The 

 belief that 'somatic' changes could not be transmitted rests largely 

 on the idea that every character is determined by a 'factor* or 

 determinant in the germ-cell, but it is clear that any character is not 

 developed directly from the germinal determinant, but by the relation 

 existing between the determinant and its surroundings, viz. the body 

 of the organism. If the surroundings are changed, this relation may 

 be altered, and the altered relation may be transmitted to the off- 

 spring, so bringing about a corresponding change in the character 

 as it appears in the next generation. How far such changes are of 

 real importance, and whether they are permanent or, so to speak, 

 temporary expedients to meet changed conditions, is still an open 

 question. Students of heredity generally would take the latter view. 



D. 7 



