DUBLIN REVIEW. S.R.B. 71 



FATHER WASMANN, SJ., has long been known 

 to men of science as the foremost living authority 

 on ants and termites and their inquitines, and his special 

 books on science in its relation to religion have been 

 noticed in this Review as they appeared both in their 

 German and their English dress. He has not merely 

 contributed of his own work to science but has achieved 

 the even greater end of forming a school of scientific 

 observers and writers amongst German members of his 

 society. Fr Assmuth, now we believe in India, is well 

 known for his observations in the same field of knowledge 

 as that of his teacher, and now we have from the pen of 

 Fr Karl Frank, S.J., a most interesting work ( The Theory 

 of Evolution in the Light of Facts. Trans, by Charles T. 

 Druery. London: Kegan Paul. 1913. Price 53. net) 

 containing a chapter by Fr Wasmann on the subject 

 which has formed the work of his life. 



The various theories which have been put forward by 

 Lamarck, by Darwin and by the " neo " followers of 

 either of these authorities are very fully considered by 

 Fr Frank, who points out the many difficulties which 

 arise when one tries to square the results of observation 

 with any of the explanations at present before the 

 scientific world. 



One of the most interesting sections of the work is that 

 which deals with the common origin of plants and 

 animals. Nearly all modern theories of evolution assume 

 a common low form of life from which branched off in 

 the one direction protozoa and in the other protophyta, 

 the simplest forms of animal and of vegetable life. Fr 

 Frank entirely differs from this view, and, as the result 

 of a philosophical argument of great cogency and interest, 

 concludes that " animals and plants cannot be brought 

 into genetic connexion," and this because, the entire 

 " idea " of the two being wholly different, it would be 

 impossible for the one to become the other without a 

 total alteration of its own being. 



Fr Frank in this and in other points embraces the 

 polyphyletic view of evolurion, which h;. s been set forward 

 as an explanation by more than one wri , er, an explanation 



which, whilst believing in transform Ism within great 

 groups, does not think that it can be shown to account 

 for the groups themselves. The book is one which will 

 interest all philosophical biologists. B. C. A. W. 



