IX THE HISTORY AND SCOPE OF ZOOLOGY 375 



and be entirely dissociated from the Lamarckian 

 heresy. 



The one fact which the Lamarckians can produce 

 in their favour is the account of experiments by 

 Brown-Sequard, in which he produced epilepsy in 

 guinea-pigs by section of the large nerves or spinal 

 cord, and in the course of which he was led to believe 

 that in a few rare instances the artificially produced 

 epilepsy was transmitted. This instance .does not 

 stand the test of criticism. It is not clear whether 

 the guinea-pigs operated upon had or had not already 

 a constitutional tendency to epilepsy, and it is not 

 clear in what proportion of cases the supposed trans- 

 mission took place, and whether any other disease 

 accompanied it. On the other hand, the vast number 

 of experiments in the cropping of the tails and ears of 

 domestic animals, as well as of similar operations on 

 man, are attended with negative results. No case 

 of the transmission of the results of an injury can be 

 produced. Stories of tailless kittens, puppies, and 

 calves, born from parents one of whom had been thus 

 injured, are abundant, but they have hitherto entirely 

 failed to stand before examination. 



Experimental researches on this question are most 

 urgently needed, but they are not provided for either 

 in the morphographical or physiological laboratories 

 of our universities. 



Whilst simple evidence of the fact of the trans- 

 mission of an acquired character is wanting, the a 

 priori arguments in its favour break down one after 

 another when discussed. The very cases which are 



