" CONTRE-EVOLUTION " 169 



us most in connection with " Paleo-anatomie pathologique," 

 namely as concerns thefons et origo of the pathology. The author, 

 I think, would have done better to take up the threads left by 

 pre-evolutionary French writers such as Morel, for instance, of 

 whom he says : 



Pour lui, la Degenerescence n'etait autre chose qu'une deviation 

 maladive d'un type primitil 



or by Isidore Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire who 



admettait la transmission hereditaire, sous 1'influence d'une " diathese 

 malformatrice." 



The fact that, as Magnan has stated, degeneration is destructive 

 of evolution, need by no means be interpreted as proving a 

 *' Contre-Evolution." Degeneration is merely, as an evil, 

 impeding evolution. To Magnan, Dr. Larger pays a high tribute, 

 for having by his wording suggested to him the title of " Contre- 

 Evolution." But Magnan's words are clearly suggestive of 

 something much more sane than " Contre-Evolution," namely, 

 of the simple truth that there is, and always has been, a wide 

 prevalence of disease, eating canker-like into the very heart of 

 the organism and impeding progress. According to Magnan, 

 degeneration is a morbid state of the organism, showing a striking 

 imperfection of functions compared to the state of progenitors. 



Bien plus, cet etat morbide constitutionnel s'aggrave progressivement, 

 et, de meme que la degeneration d'un tissu precede sa disparition, sa mort, 

 de meme la degeneration de 1'individu precede son aneantissement dans son 

 espece. 



In other words, " function " has deteriorated, as a result of 

 which serious deficiencies arise. The magnitude of the evil, of 

 the " diathesis " thus ensuing, is proportional to the deficiency 

 of " function " more particularly bio-economic function, I 

 should add. The progress of the race is self-impeded. The race 

 does not counter-evolve in order to die of a premature death. 

 It fails to evolve satisfactorily. Voild tout. Magnan might have 

 added to his definition that if anything avails towards death 

 rather than towards life, it ceases pro tanto to be evolutionary, 

 i.e., progressive, and becomes pathological, i.e., merely negative 

 or chaotic.* We have seen that Magnan does not overlook the 

 psycho-physical factor, which is as a hint that he, at any rate, 

 contrary to Dr. Larger's view, regarded degeneration as " une 

 maladie autonome proprement dite." 



* Dr. Larger himself says on page 86 " ce qui caracterise souvent la Degenerescence, c'est 

 i'absence de regie fixe," i.e., absence of Law and Government. 



