THE 



AMERICAN NATURALIST 



Vol. T.I. September, 1917 No. 609 



THP] THEORY OF THE GENE. 

 PROFESSOR T. H. MORGAN 



It is unfortunate that the method of analysis of the 

 problems of ^lendolian heredity that has been adopted in 

 one form or anothci- by those who work in this field, has 

 aroused a certain amoiuit of antagonism on the part of 

 those whose work lies in other directions. 



In the following pages I shall attempt to explain what 

 the genetic factor means to those who use it, and then try 

 to answer certain specific criticisms of this form of 

 hypothesis, in a that a mutual understanding will 



remove many of tlie objections that have been made to 

 this method of handling genetic problems. 



The objection- liave taken various forms. It has been 

 said, for instance, that thi- factorial interpretation is not 

 physiological but only ••>tatic." whereas all really scien- 

 tific ex])huiation> are ■•dynamic." It has been said that 

 since tlie liy]»othe-is does not deal with known chemical 



kind of symbolism. It ha> b.-en said that it is not a real 

 scientific liyjiothesis t\)r it merely restates its facts as 

 factors, and then by juggling with numbers jn-etends that 

 it has explained something. It has been said that the or- 

 ganism is a Whole and that to treat it as made up of little 

 ]>ieces is to miss the entire problem of "Organization." 



are "unnatuial/* an<l that they have nothing to do with 

 513 



