CORRESPONDENCE. 
THE CAUSES OF MARKED VARIATIONS AT 
BIRTH. 
Barbados, W. I., February 25, 1912. 
The Editor of the American Veterinary Review: 
One of the fundamental principles of organic evolution is 
as to the cause or causes leading or giving rise to variation at 
birth. It is fundamental, since all progress in organic evolution 
is dependent on the appearance of such variations. Nowi, I 
hold that marked variations—not monstrosities which are pa¬ 
thologically produced—are due to certain extraordinary features 
in the environment acting on the organism, when in young, and 
that through the nervous system, such an influence is reflected 
on to the embryo, leading to such a characteristic variation at 
birth. In order to establish my position, I solicit the aid of 
veterinarians by a process which is simple and easily carried out. 
So far I have succeeded in this way: Learning from my mother 
that my father, (dead) had produced tailless pups, by striking 
the tail of the bitch when in young, with the side of the hand 
as if to sever the tail, while she was soundly asleep, I tried the 
experiment with a cat, in no way connected with a tailless breed, 
and succeeded in getting twio tailless young ones, one with a tail 
broken at that point and one with a normal tail. My success 
induced a friend of mine to try the experiment, which also suc¬ 
ceeded. As the experiment, if successful beyond all doubt, will 
settle, once for all, perhaps the most important question in biol¬ 
ogy, I solicit the aid of the veterinary profession in settling the 
question, and I ask that the results of all such successful experi¬ 
ments, fully certified, be published in the pages of the American 
Veterinary Review. Trusting that the importance of the 
question will attract the attention of your readers and gain their 
co-operation, I am sir, 
Yours truly, 
R. F. Licorish, M.D. 
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