13(5 DEVELOPMENT AND HEREDITY. 



the nerve courses had been removed. The sensitive- 

 plant is a notable instance of this transmission of 

 molecular change from one point to another with- 

 out the aid of nerves. There is, further, some 

 ground for believing that a molecular change may 

 be transmitted even where there is no vital con- 

 nection between the parts. This seems to be the 

 case in several observed instances, where the pro- 

 toplasm of the egg-cell becomes unusually active 

 at the approach of the spermatozoon, yet before 

 the latter has touched the outer surface of the egg. 

 Also, we have the well-known case of certain conju- 

 gating algae {e.g. Spyrogyrd), two cells of which, 

 though not touching each other, are seen to exert 

 a mutual influence, causing outgrowths of the cell 

 walls of each cell toward the other, and inducing at 

 the same time a peculiar molecular condition of the 

 protoplasm. Some psychological investigators claim 

 that molecular changes can be transmitted from one 

 organism to another through considerable distances 

 of space where there is no vital connection. ^ Hence 

 it seems not only unnecessary to suppose that the 

 changes in the body (soma) of an animal cannot change 

 the molecular condition, or nervous co-ordinations, of 

 the germ-cells, but rather, it seems impossible that 

 the somatic changes should not affect the germ-cells. 



1 See Reports of British Association for Psychical Research . 



