the history of anatomical science 315 
gives off (according to laws) blind lateral canals , 
they ossify, and it is a trunk skeleton. This 
skeleton repeats itself at the two poles, each pole 
repeats itself in the other, and they are head and 
pelvis. The skeleton is only a developeo, rami- 
fied, repeated vertebra ; and a vertebra is the 
pre-formed germ of the skeleton, d he entire man 
is only a vertebra.’ 
All this may be in accordance with the ‘ Idee,’ , ( 
and demonstrable a priori ; but the plain, prosaic 
inquirer into objective truth may be excused if he 
finds nothing in it but a series of metaphorical 
mystifications ; for which, so far as they are to 
be taken seriously, no empirical justification ever 
existed. There is not, and there never was, any 
ground for believing that a vertebra is an ossified 
vesicle ; or that a vertebral column, or a trunk 
skeleton, is produced in the way asserted ; or that 
a head is a repeated pelvis, or vice versa ; while 
the intelligibility of the final assertion that the 
entire man is only a vertebra,’ is not apparent. 
The spirit which animates these oracular utter- 
ances pervades all the writings of Oken and 
his school ; it provided Cuvier with the subject 
matter of his severest, as well as of his most justi- 
fiable sarcasms ; and every one who has the inte- 
rests of sound science at heart must feel Cuvier s 
debtor for the pertinacity with which he combated, 
and finally drove out of the field of science, this 
pseudo-philosophical word-play. 
