44 An Examination of Weismannism. 



number of germ-cells in each ontogeny. And simi- 

 larly, of course, as regards the different aggregations of 

 ancestral germ-plasms which are left for distribution 

 among these innumerable germ-cells. " If one group 

 of ancestral germ-plasms is expelled from one egg, 

 and a different group from another egg, it follows 

 that no two eggs can be exactly alike as regards their 

 contained hereditary tendencies." Granted ; but this 

 consideration applies equally to the original segre- 

 gation of germ-plasms in the multiplying eggs of each 

 ontogeny — for it follows from the theory of germ- 

 plasm that the most primitive egg-cell in each ontogeny 

 must have contained all the ancestral germ-plasms 

 which are afterwards distributed among its innumer- 

 able progeny of egg-cells. And, as far as the facts of 

 ;< individual variation " are concerned, I do not see why 

 the differential partitioning of "ancestral idio-plasms" 

 should be any better secured by nuclear division ot 

 a mature germ-cell than by that of an immature. 

 Less so, indeed ; for the wonder is that during 

 the many -thousand -fold division of an immature 

 ovum so precise a distribution of these " ancestral 

 idio-plasms " is maintained, as is proved to be main- 

 tained (on the theory of germ-plasm) by the facts of 

 heredity. 



However, Weismann takes a widely different view of 

 the matter. For while he allows that " such an early 

 reducing division w r ould offer advantages in that 

 nothing would be lost;, for both the daughter nuclei 

 would (? might) become eggs, instead of one of 

 them being lost as a polar body " — while he allows 

 this, he nevertheless rejects the possibility of " such an 

 early reducing division." But I do not see that the 



