CHAPTER XII 



LAMARCK THE ZOOLOGIST 



Although there has been and still may be a 

 difference of opinion as to the value and permanency 

 of Lamarck's theoretical views, there has never been 

 any lack of appreciation of his labors as a systematic 

 zoologist. He was undoubtedly the greatest zoolo- 

 gist of his time. Lamarck is the one dominant per- 

 sonage who in the domain of zoology filled the inter- 

 val between Linn6 and Cuvier, and in acuteness and 

 sound judgment he at times surpassed Cuvier. His 

 was the master mind of the period of systematic 

 zoology, which began with Linn6 — the period which, 

 in the history of zoology, preceded that of compara- 

 tive anatomy and morphology. 



After Aristotle, no epoch-making zoologist arose 

 until Linne was born. In England Linn6 was pre- 

 ceded by Ray, but binomial nomenclature and the 

 first genuine attempt at the classification of animals 

 dates back to the Systema Natures of Linnd, the 

 tenth edition of which appeared in 1758. 



The contemporaries of Lamarck in biological 

 science, in the eighteenth century, were Camper 

 (1722-89), Spallanzani (1729-99), Wolff (1733-94), 

 Hunter (1728-93), Bichat (1771-1802), and Vicq 

 d'Azyr (1748-94). These were all anatomists and 



