GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. 787 



equally rejecting the idea of new creations/ opposed to Cuvier's 

 inductive treatment of the question the following expression of 

 belief: — ( Je ne doute pas que les animaux vivants aujourd'hui 

 ne proviennent, par une suite de generations, et sans interruption, 

 des animaux perdus du monde antediluvien.' 2 But with regard 

 to the demonstration of the proposition, of the truth of which he 

 could not entertain a doubt, GeofFroy Saint-Hilaire expressly 

 states : — ( Je crois que les temps d'un savoir veritablement satis- 

 faisant en geologie ne sont pas encore venus.' 



The main collateral questions argued in these debates, to some 

 of which I listened, and to all the reports and consequent pamph- 

 lets relating thereto devoted intense attention, appeared to me to 

 be the following : — 



Unity of Plan or Final purpose, as a governing condition of 

 organic development? 



Series of species, uninterrupted or broken by intervals ? 



Extinction, cataclysmal or regulated ? 



Development, by epigenesis or evolution? 



Primary life, by miracle or secondary law ? 



On returning home and resuming office with additional duties 

 at the Royal College of Surgeons, I was guided in all my work 

 with the hope or endeavour to gain inductive ground for conclu- 

 sions on these great questions. 



§ 423. Homology or Teleology ? — Cuvier held the work of 

 organisation to be guided and governed by final purpose, or adap- 

 tation, expounding this principle under the terms ' conditions of 

 existence ' and ( correlations of structure.' Geoffroy denied the 

 evidence of design, and protested against the deduction of a 

 purpose as, e. g., from the coexistence of a valve with a definite 

 course of fluid : he contended for the principle which he called 

 * unite de composition,' as the law of organisation. Most of his 

 illustrations were open to the demonstration of inaccuracy, and 

 his arguments to the refutation which they received from Cuvier 

 in the debates in question: the logic, and, as it seemed, the 

 facts, were on the side of teleology. The figurative language, 

 moreover, in which contemporary anatomists had expressed their 

 views of a principle akin to Geoifroy's was ill-calculated to enlist 

 supporters. The expressions by which disciples of the school 



1 • Or, cette proposition, deja contraire aux plus anciennes donnees historiques, 

 repugne tout autant aux lumieres de la raison naturelle qu'aux speculations plus 

 reflechies des sciences physiques.' — cclxxxvii". p. 210. 



2 Also, more decisively : — ' Les animaux perdus sont, par voie non interrompue de 

 generations et de modifications successives, les aneetres des animaux du monde actuel.' 

 — cclxxxvii". p. 208. 



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