DISCUSSION 229 



state definitely this evening, that his chief aim was 

 simply to demonstrate the chemical and physiological 

 resemblances existing between different kinds of blood. 

 We are therefore of one mind, and the popular idea 

 that he interpreted kinship of blood to imply a 

 common origin or descent was based on a mis- 

 conception. His explanation was one that I gladly 

 accept. He said also that his investigations were 

 concerned with man only as being the highest type 

 of mammal. This is true in my opinion also ; with 

 respect to his body, man represents the highest 

 form of mammal, and therefore he may zoo- 

 logically be classed as standing next to the order of 

 apes. 1 



Dr. Friedenthal said : 6 We are not only descended 

 from apes, but we are ourselves genuine apes.' If by 

 these words he means : ' With regard to our bodily 

 organisation we stand in immediate proximity to 

 the Primates,' he is only stating a well-known fact, 

 with which even Linnaeus was familiar, whom I do 

 not wish to contradict. But I do contradict any one 

 who maintains that the actual evidence of the 

 descent of man from beasts is so well established 

 as to force us to accept it. This is the real difficulty. 

 I do not challenge the assertion that it is possible 

 for man, with regard to his body, to be descended 

 from beasts let me emphasise the word possible 

 and in so doing I leave the theological question 



1 I do not say that he is to be classed in the same order as apes, as 

 Haeckel, Friedenthal, and others propose to do. 



