64 THE PROBLEM OF EVOLUTION 



there are really cases, in which the evolution of the 

 individual gives us a clear indication where to seek 

 the ancestors of the race. Nevertheless, if we are 

 to explain such a stage of evolution as being a 

 repetition of some hypothetical stage in the life of 

 its ancestors, this explanation must be the only 

 possible one and it is my opinion that there is no 

 such stage in the ontogeny of man ; and therefore 

 I maintain that the individual development of man 

 supplies us with no evidence of his descent from 

 beasts, which can be regarded as conclusive from 

 the scientific point of view. 



Zoology has supplied a third argument which is 

 used by those who uphold the theory of the descent 

 of man from beasts. They refer to the existence of 

 certain rudimentary organs, which at one time 

 served some definite end, but later degenerated as 

 useless, and now remain in an altered or diminished 

 condition. We must bear in mind that it has been 

 a common mistake to describe as ' rudimentary ' 

 any organs of which the use was unknown. 

 Especially in the case of the human body, it has 

 repeatedly happened that organs described as 

 rudimentary have been found to fulfil some definite 

 function of biological importance. I may remind 

 you of the thyroid gland, the thymus gland, and the 

 pineal gland. With regard to the last, Cyon proved 

 that it was important for the maintenance of 

 equilibrium. But there undoubtedly are certain 

 rudimentary organs for which we cannot account 



