64 Hypothetical Bearers of Hereditary Characters 



which are conducted to the germ-cells and transmit to 

 them those characters which the respective cells may have 

 acquired during their development. 



These two parts must be considered separately. They 

 deserve this the more as their significance has been so far 

 generally misunderstood. 



The hypothetical particles Darwin called "gemmules," 

 on account of the analogy mentioned in the first proposi- 

 tion. This is a poorly chosen term, which has contributed 

 much toward the raising of insurmountable objections to 

 his theory. It has led many readers to imagine that they 

 were preformed germs (Keimchen) ; a conception which 

 does not in the least correspond to that of Darwin. On 

 the contrary, one would have to say, according to the 

 second proposition, that they originated only after the 

 acquisition of certain characters, or, at the most, simul- 

 taneously with them. But we will not enter any further 

 into this question. 



The greatest number of investigators, in their criti- 

 cisms, have considered the second proposition only. 

 When pangenesis is mentioned, only this hypothesis is 

 usually meant. The whole theory is identified with this 

 second assumption, and the transportation of the gem- 

 mules is regarded as the chief point. 31 



I admit that, on a superficial 'reading, that chapter 

 might easily create such an impression. But when it is 

 read several times attentively, the transportation-hypothe- 

 sis is lost sight of, while the fundamental idea, which is 

 stated in the first proposition, becomes predominant. 



This is partly due to the difficulty of familiarizing 

 one's self immediately with the great thoughts of the 



^Darwin distinctly calls it "The chief assumption." The Varia- 

 tion of Animals and Plants. 2: 384. New York. 1900. Tr. 



