invisible but perfect and complete, and not thus, 

 as if they were created instantly by the Most High 

 Creator (22), and that finally, under the influence of 

 accidental causes, as if stimulated, they begin to 

 expand, extend and grow to the normal size of the 

 adult body. Not so. I say that what I saw in nature 

 occurs, but sooner, so that the formation of 

 natural bodies in general is pre-established only 

 by one natural power, existing in animal or plant 

 matter. (5 56, p. 453) (23) 



"Similarly, if from a small and invisible but complete 

 and fully formed stomach it becomes large and visible, then 

 it will be clear that the stomach then has the form of the 

 adult stomach, but only smaller in size. In any case it will 

 be seen that it is not half, not in any case opened or united 

 with other parts" (§ 57, pp. 454 - 455). And later on: "I more 

 often saw embryos with cardiac fossa and without the whole 

 heart; this means that the stomach appeared earlier than the 

 heart — a fact contradicting the general opinion and hypothesis 

 of evolution" (p. 455). 



Later Wolff moved to a description of the false amnion 

 commissure. He used this name for the deep groove going along 

 the ventral side of the embryo; it appears in the third day 

 of incubation, beginning from the lower, gradually compressed 

 end of the cardiac fossa and, not being interrupted, extends 

 backwards, ending in the edge of the membrane cover of the 

 tail. The edges of the commissures at this time are adjacent 

 and united so closely that they do not admit a probe. Shortly 

 before this, in the second day of incubation, "the edges of 

 the groove not only are separated from each other, but are 

 widely separated. The entire anterior surface of the vertebral 

 column, which at first seems astonishing, is not covered by 

 anything. The embryo is uncovered totally in the anterior 

 surface, except the most anterior part, lying in front of the 

 cardiac fossa." This part in front of the cardiac fossa (future 

 stomach) represents a tube which, according to Wolff, is not 

 the thoracic cavity, but the anterior part of the digestive 

 canal. On the contrary, the part lying behind the cardiac 

 fossa represents a cavity in the form of a half cylinder. Later, 

 the edges of this cavity gradually move closer, accrete and, 

 by these means, about the third day of incubation the above 

 mentioned commissure appears, which closes with the abdominal 



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