preference for preformation over epigenesis, which is in 

 agreement with religious presentations, the subtle irony- 

 concerning such arguments sounds bad. And in the work just 

 described, "About the origin of monsters," as if referring 

 to an argument of the same nature, Wolff referred relating 

 the intentional creation of these monsters to God as 

 doubting His wisdom. It is sufficient, however, to consider 

 all those "devout" sentences of Wolff to realize that his 

 main task was to eliminate God from nature. He makes that 

 goal applicable mainly to the development of monsters, 

 but he also relates these discussions to normal development. 

 The results are in complete agreement with his observations 

 in other works, in which he frequently stressed the 

 relationship of the processes of development to natural true 

 reasons. 



Besides the above-mentioned teratological works, 

 Wolff published also a small work "Note, concerning the 

 double monsters, whose two bodies are connected by the 

 posterior parts. "5 in this note, Wolff related that on 

 May 21, 1778 Senat notified the Academy about the birth of 

 a live double monster by a woman in the province of Tversk. 

 The accreted twins lived for two months and were then given 

 to the Academy. They were united at the posterior surface 

 of the pelvic region from the upper edge to the coccyx; the 

 posterior secretory opening was general for both. The 

 remaining parts of the trunk, heads and extremities were 

 entirely separated. The note is terminated by the statement 

 that detailed description of this monster would be published 

 later. Apparently Wolff meant to include the description 

 of this case in a large teratological monograph, but that 

 work was interrupted by his death. Wolff's drawing, which 

 is published by A. E. Gaisinovich from the archive of the 

 Academy of Science of USSR and which is reproduced here 

 CFig. 14), undoubtedly illustrates the case described. 6 



5. Wolff, "Notice touchant un monstre biforme, dont les deux 

 corps sont reunis par derriere," ACTA ACAD. SCIENT. 

 PETROPOL. pro anno 1770, part 1, 1780, pp. 41 - 44. 



6. A. E. Gaisinovich, "K. F. Wolff and the study of develop- 

 ment," in K. F. WOLFF: THEORY OF CONCEPTION 



(Academy of Science USSR, 1950) . The mentioned drawing is 

 located between pp. 472 and 473. 



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