Darwinism and Articulate Speech . [December, 
804 
VI. DARWINISM AND ARTICULATE SPEECH. 
S T the Meeting of the Academy of Sciences, on the 
10th November, 1879, M. Larrey referred to a work 
written by Dr. Frederic Bateman, of Norwich, on 
the subject of Darwinism. In the course of his remarks M. 
Larrey said that Dr. Bateman combats Mr. Darwin’s asser- 
tion that a difference between man and animals is only one of 
degree, and not of kind. He has transferred the subject of 
Evolution to the domain of Psychology, being convinced 
that hitherto naturalists have concentrated their attention 
too exclusively on the analogies between the body of man 
and that of animals, or, in other words, on the purely phy- 
sical, anatomical, and material characteristics, neglecting 
the study of the intellectual and metaphysical attributes, 
which constitute an essential difference between man and 
animals. 
Whilst admitting that man, in his purely physical nature, 
is closely allied to certain animals, Dr. Bateman repudiates en- 
tirely the conclusion drawn from that analogy by Mr. Darwin ; 
for supposing the resemblance of man to an animal bone for 
bone, nerve for nerve, muscle for muscle, to be proved, what are 
we to conclude from it if it is also demonstrated that man 
possesses a distinctive attribute the least trace of which is 
not found in a brute, an attribute which establishes a gulf 
between the two ? The author affirms that such a dis- 
tinctive attribute exists in articulate speech. He examines 
first the doCtrine of Darwinism, beginning with an exposi- 
tion of the principles of Evolution as laid down by Haeckel. 
He then asserts that no proof exists of the transmutation 
of species since historic times, and cites the cases of bodies 
embalmed for three thousand years, and of the birds and 
animals carved on the ancient monuments of Egypt. He 
thus confirms what Flourens had already said, viz., “ The 
species do not alter nor pass from one to the other ; the species are 
fixed” 
Dr. Bateman then introduces the study of speech as an 
additional argument against the theory of Evolution, and 
explains his plan of attack on Mr. Darwin by the three 
following propositions ; — 
1. Articulate speech is the distinctive attribute of man, 
whilst the ape and other animals possess no such 
power. 
