of the Piltdown case, who had the 
misfortune to pick up the canine tooth 
and the flint, in situ at the site where 
the shameful forgery was committed. 
G. H. R. von Koenigswald 
Department of Paleoanthropology 
Senckenberg Museum 
Frankfort/Main B.D. 
Stephen Jay Gould replies: 
I began my first article on Piltdown 
{Natural History, March 1979) with 
the words: “Nothing is quite so fas- 
cinating as a well-aged mystery.” 
Thus, 1 cannot feign a scholar’s sur- 
prise and claim astonishment at either 
the volume or the vehemence of cor- 
respondence provoked by my case for 
Teilhard de Chardin as a coconspir- 
ator in the most celebrated of anthro- 
pological forgeries {Natural History, 
August 1980). 
1 was pleased by the favorable re- 
action of most correspondents, espe- 
cially by the recognition of so many 
that my case was not born of malice 
toward Teilhard. For if I have em- 
phasized any theme over eight years 
of these columns, it is the human side 
of science and its embeddedness in 
social contexts. If I am right, I do 
not see how Teilhard’s greatness is 
diminished by a youthful caper that 
caused him continual pain thereafter. 
A tragedy provoked without malicious 
intent by one’s own hand is perhaps 
the most poignant burden that anyone 
can bear. As a Jesuit priest wrote to 
me: “I do not know if you are right, 
but the spirit of your argument com- 
mands respect. After all, our church 
maintains the institution of confession 
because we know that people err — 
even priests.” 
Favorable respondents write short 
notes or pass a friendly oral remark. 
Long commentaries — quite appropri- 
ately — are the domain of critics. I 
merely wanted to say that the three 
published here are not the tip of an 
iceberg of discontent, or, if they are, 
the iceberg of good cheer is at least 
as large if not so heavy. 
In these three commentaries, Teil- 
hard’s friends and supporters react. 
Professor Dodson spent a sabbatical 
year at the Fondation Teilhard de 
Chardin in Paris. Professors Wash- 
burn and von Koenigswald, two of the 
most eminent physical anthropologists 
of our century, were friends and col- 
leagues of Teilhard. Their covering 
letters express an anger not found — 
and I thank them for it — in their ac- 
tual responses. I am neither sorry nor 
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