158 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [AUGUST 
upon the environmental and functional factors of development as opposed to 
the heredity factors proper. In his zeal to point out the fact that geneticists 
have neglected the environmental factors, the author tends to overemphasize 
its Feiative ves - or and neseeey Again, his point of view con- 
flicts nception of the physical basis of heredity in that 
he strongly emphasizes the cytoplasmic as opposed to the nuclear elements 
in germ cells. He points out “that at the time of fertilization the hereditary 
potencies of the two germ cells are not equal, all the early stages of development, 
including the polarity symmetry, type of cleavage, and pattern or relative 
positions of future organs, being foreshadowed in the cytoplasm of the egg cell, 
while only the differentiations of later development are influenced by the 
sperm. In short, the egg cytoplasm fixes the general type of development and 
the sperm and egg nuclei supply only the details.” Has the author intended to 
deny to the sperm a cytoplasmic organization, which might conceivably have 
something to do with development and heredity ? 
Another distinctive feature of the book is the humanistic point of view 
that is maintained throughout. As the title indicates, man is the center of 
interest, and the author views man broadly, neglecting none of his salient 
but a similar attempt is made to correlate with the physical side that side 
which we usually term the mental and spiritual. With some boldness the 
author, in his final chapter entitled ‘‘Genetics and ethics,” invades groun 
comin even a Spee a ee to tread. Such ee as “the voluntaristic 
‘the determinism of environ- 
ment, ” and “responsibility and will” are handled with confidence, and certain | 
conclusions are reached and stated, in spite of our lack of a factual and experi- 
mental basis for any such conclusions. 
6 chapters of the book may be characterized as follows. ‘Facts and 
factors of development”’ includes a discussion (1) of the phenomena of develop- 
ment of body and of mind, and (2) of the factors of development (preformation 
and epigenesis, heredity and environment). The second chapter, entitled 
“The cellular basis of heredity and development,” and the first, previously 
cited, are decidedly the best in the book, as might be expected in view of the 
author’s special attainments in this field. The reviewer knows no better treat- 
ment of these important matters, although he is unable to agree with some of 
the author’s most fundamental positions. The third chapter, ‘‘The phenomena 
of inheritance,” is a clear, though brief, statement of the facts, observation, 
statistical, and experimental, that make up the body of our modern knowledge 
of heredity. In the fourth chapter, entitled ‘Influence of environment,” the 
author has an axe to grind and does it with thoroughness. Environment and 
functional activity as factors in development are given a place as important 
as heredity. While possibly somewhat overstated, this position is one that 
needs to be borne in mind, and this chapter will go far toward reinstating the 
factors of environment and functioning in the estimation of the student of 
