338 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLI. No. 1053 



rial for scientific investigation, and that 

 the investigation of man gives a peculiar 

 zest to research because the results are so 

 obviously applicable to our human life. No 

 doubt these considerations are responsible 

 for the fact that to-day we are enquiring 

 into the value of scientific genealogy. 



Although the copy-book states that man 

 is an animal, it appears that, until recently, 

 zoologists considered that man is an an- 

 thropos and they had nothing to do with 

 him. And so long as the work of the biol- 

 ogist was the description of species, or the 

 study of structure this attitude had a cer- 

 tain justification. But a new era has 

 arisen ; an era in which for certain studies 

 the old classifications of botany, zoology 

 and anthropology are being disregarded. 

 These studies may be grouped under the 

 head of general biology. This field includes 

 such matters as general cytology (embrac- 

 ing maturation and fertilization), general 

 embryology (including physiology and 

 chemistry of development), genetics, and 

 general physiology (including irritability). 

 And we find that the phenomena of these 

 sciences are the same for all organisms and 

 that all may be used to contribute data to 

 these sciences. And now any biologist feels 

 at liberty to use any material, from any 

 "kingdom," for his studies. 



Not only in this matter, but in another, 

 a great change has entered the spirit of 

 our dreams. Formerly the zoologist, still 

 cherishing in manhood the childish delight 

 of collecting animals and studying with 

 uninhibited enthusiasm the details of their 

 structure, found it difficult to answer the 

 question that his fellow human beings put 

 to him, "What are your studies good for?" 

 was able to show few points of contact be- 

 tween zoology and human affairs (except 

 the fisheries and some parasites) and so 

 assumed the lofty attitude of esotericism. 

 But now the biologist is dealing with facts 



whose bearings are appreciated by any 

 fairly well educated layman. "Workers in 

 any one of the fields of general biology are 

 apt to be importuned by publishers; and 

 there are men, though few in number, who 

 live in luxury by writing books and giving 

 popular lectures on biological topics! We 

 have hardly to urge the importance of biol- 

 ogy to humanity. 



In no field of biology is there a greater 

 popular recognition of the importance of 

 biological research than in that of genetics. 

 The reality and the bearing of the new 

 science have gained a general recognition; 

 the realization of the limitations of the 

 methods of amelioration and of training 

 and of hygiene have paved the way for 

 such recognition; and to-day people are 

 coming to look at man as the biologist does, 

 namely, as an animal, comprising hundreds 

 of elementary species, whose potentialities 

 for physical, intellectual and moral devel- 

 opment differ tremendously. 



If there were anywhere a community 

 that was wholly isolated, whose progenitors 

 were exactly or very closely alike and 

 which was highly inbred, then all the mem- 

 bers of that hypothetical community would 

 belong to the same species and it would 

 follow that the facts of genetics would have 

 little importance for such a community, 

 and there would be little need in such a 

 community for a scientific genealogy. But, 

 as a matter of fact, the human race is 

 practising what is, perhaps, the biggest 

 experiment in hybridization that the 

 world has ever seen. And this vast experi- 

 ment is pregnant with possibilities for good 

 or evil so great that they can not be cal- 

 culated. Any practical breeder who was 

 carrying on such an enormous system of 

 cross breeding and attempted to keep the 

 details in his head would be recognized as 

 guilty of a colossal folly; and no scientific 

 breeder would, of course, be capable of such 



