Weismanris theory of Heredity (189 1). 65 



of "germ- plasms " in an act of sexual union. In 

 hereafter speaking of this case I will follow Weismann's 

 terminology, and call congenital changes thus produced 

 specialized congenital changes. 



3. Lastly, we have the case of the Lamarckian 

 factors. This precisely resembles case 2, save that 

 the congenital changes produced are still more 

 " specialized." For while in the preceding case 

 the re-shuffling before mentioned may have produced 

 a congenital change of any kind, in the present case 

 the congenital change produced must be of one 

 particular kind — viz., a reproduction by heredity of 

 the very same modification which occurred in the 

 parents. "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and 

 the children's teeth are set on edge." This would be 

 an extreme example of " use-inheritance/' and so of 

 case 3. But if the fathers had eaten sour grapes, 

 and the children, instead of having their teeth set 

 on edge, were to be born with a wryneck or a squint, 

 then we should have a good example of case 2. In 

 order, then, to mark the important distinction between 

 these two cases, I will hereafter call the highly 

 specialized changes due to the Lamarckian factors — 

 supposing such changes to be possible — representative 

 congenital changes. 



These several distinctions being understood, I will 

 proceed to furnish the two quotations from Weismann, 

 which are respectively illustrative of his concessions 

 touching his two fundamental postulates, as previously 

 explained. 



We may fairly attribute to the adult organism influences 

 which determine the phyletic development of its descendants. 

 For the germ-cells are contained in the organism, and the 



F 



