2O Indications of Continued Formative Influence 



after the completion of its work and consequently is ca- 

 pable of renewing it at every favorable opportunity. 



If on account of unusual conditions the regeneration 

 of the amputated part proceeds in an abnormal fashion, 

 the remaining part continues always in spite of that to be 

 capable of normal regeneration. For example : an axolotl 

 had a foot bitten off. The foot was reproduced but badly 

 formed. This foot was amputated and a third was 

 developed which was quite normal. 5 



We shall later at a proper place treat of the ill-starred 

 attempts of the preformists to bring their theory into 

 accord with similar phenomena, and of the arguments 

 and the special regenerative processes which the epigene- 

 sists have brought forward in support of their theory. 

 Here it may merely be noted that while epigenetic theories 

 furnish an immediate explanation for all phenomena of 

 regeneration, the preformation theory on the contrary 

 must have recourse to the addition of complicated sub- 

 sidiary hypotheses which are entirely opposed to the 

 principal one. 



If the morphological capacity does not reside in the 

 somatic cells of the cut surface, which by their multiplica- 

 tion produce the regenerated organ, but is outside these, 

 it follows that the continuous action exercised upon all 

 cells at the end of the regenerated part as also upon all 

 cells which do not lie at the cut surface, by the remaining 

 part of the organism must be a mediate action exercised 

 from a distance, and therefore must traverse intermediate 

 cells. 



A yet more striking demonstration of a continued, 



6 Darwin: The variation of animals and plants under domestica- 

 tion. Eighth impression of the second edition. London, Murray. 

 1899- P. 357, 358. 



