254 Evolution and Adaptation 



the ear consumed apparently by the same disease. Romanes 

 then gives the following significant analysis of this result. 

 Since a different part of the ear of the progeny is affected, 

 and also a "very much less quantity thereof," it might seem 

 that the result was due either to a mere coincidence, or to 

 the transmission of microbes. But he goes on to say, that he 

 fairly well excluded both of these possibilities, for, in the first 

 place, he has never observed " the very peculiar process in 

 the ears, or in any other parts of guinea-pigs which have 

 neither themselves had the restiform bodies injured, nor 

 been born of parents thus mutilated." In regard to mi- 

 crobes, Romanes tried to infect the ears of normal guinea- 

 pigs by first scarifying these parts, and then rubbing them 

 with the diseased surfaces of the ears of affected guinea- 

 pigs. In not a single case was the disease produced. 



Romanes concludes that these " results in large measure 

 corroborate the statements of Brown-Sequard ; and it is only 

 fair to add that he told me they were the results which he 

 had himself obtained most frequently, but that he had also 

 met with many cases where the diseased condition of the 

 ears in parents affected the same parts in their progeny and 

 also occurred in more equal degrees." 



We come now to the remarkable conclusion given in 

 Brown-S^quard's 7th statement, in regard to the absence of 

 toes in animals whose parents had eaten off their own hind 

 toes and even parts of their legs. Romanes got neuroses in 

 the animals operated upon, and found that the toes might be 

 eaten off ; but none of the young showed any defect in these 

 parts. Furthermore, Romanes repeated the same operation 

 upon the descendants through six successive generations, so 

 as to produce, if possible, a cumulative effect, but no inheri- 

 tance of the mutilation was observed. " On the other hand, 

 Brown-S^quard informed me that he had observed this in- 

 herited absence of toes only in about one or two per cent of 

 cases." It is possible, therefore, Romanes adds, that his 



