Essays Upon Heredity and Kindred Biological Problems

74

l. c., p. 42.

75

‘Contributions à l’histoire des Mesozoaires. Recherches sur l’organisation et le développement embryonnaire des Orthonectides,’ Arch. de Biologie, vol. iii. 1882.

76

l. c., p. 37.

77

Julin does not enter into further details on this point, and it is not quite clear at what precise time the cells of the ectoderm atrophy; but this is irrelevant to the origin of death, since the granular mass surrounding the egg-cells at any rate belongs to the soma of the mother.

78

Leuckart finds such a great resemblance between the newly born young of Distoma and the Orthonectides, that he is inclined to believe that the latter are Trematodes, ‘which in spite of sexual maturity have not developed further than the embryonic condition of the Distoma’ (‘Zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des Leberegels,’ Zool. Anzeiger, 1881, No. 99). In reference to the Dicyemidae, which resemble the Orthonectides in their manner of living and in their structure, Gegenbaur has stated his opinion that they belong to a ‘stage in the development of Platyhelminthes’ (Grundriss d. vergleich. Anatomie). Giard includes both in the ‘phylum Vermes,’ and regards them as much degenerated by parasitism; and Whitman—the latest investigator of the Dicyemids—speaks of them in a similar manner in his excellent work ‘Contributions to the Life-history and Classification of Dicyemids’ (Leipzig, 1882).

79

‘Dauer des Lebens;’ translated as the first essay in this volume.

80

See the first essay upon ‘The Duration of Life (#x5_x_5_i9),’ p. 22 (#x7_x_7_i66) et seq.

81

‘Ursprung des Todes,’ p. 29.

82

l. c., p. 5.

83

See the preceding essay ‘On Heredity (#x9_x_9_i90).’

84

The problem is very easily solved if we seek assistance from the principle of panmixia developed in the second essay ‘On Heredity.’ As soon as natural selection ceases to operate upon any character, structural or functional, it begins to disappear. As soon, therefore, as the immortality of somatic cells became useless they would begin to lose this attribute. The process would take place more quickly, as the histological differentiation of the somatic cells became more useful and complete, and thus became less compatible with their everlasting duration.—A. W. 1888.

85

See the preceding essay ‘On Heredity. (#x9_x_9_i90)’

86

See the first essay on ‘The Duration of Life (#x5_x_5_i9).’

87

See the first essay on ‘The Duration of Life (#x5_x_5_i9).’

88

These assumptions can be authenticated among the Infusoria. The encysted Colpoda cucullus, Ehrbg. divides into two, four, eight, or sixteen parts; Otostoma Carteri, into two, four, or eight; Tillina magna, Gruber, into four or five; Lagynus sp. Gruber, into two; Amphileptus meleagris, Ehrbg. into two or four. The last two species and many others frequently do not divide at all during the encysted condition. But while any further increase in the number of divisions within the cyst does not occur in free-swimming Infusoria, the interesting case of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Fouquet, shows that parasitic habits call forth a remarkable increase in the number of divisions. This animal divides into at least a thousand daughter individuals.

89

True development also takes place in the above-mentioned Ichthyophthirius. While in other Infusoria the products of fission exactly resemble the parent, in Ichthyophthirius they have a different form; the sucking mouth is wanting while provisional clasping cilia are at first present. In this case therefore the word germ may be rightly applied, and Ichthyophthirius affords an interesting example of the phyletic origin of germs among the lower Flagellata and Gregarines. Cf. Fouquet, ‘Arch. Zool. Expérimentale,’ Tom. V. p. 159. 1876.

90

Bütschli, long ago, doubted the application of the fundamental law of biogenesis to the Protozoa (cf. ‘Ueber die Entstehung der Schwärmsprösslings der Podophrya quadripartita,’ Jen. Zeit. f. Med. u. Naturw. Bd. X. p. 19, Note). Gruber has more recently expressed similar views, and in fact denies the presence of development in the Protozoa, and only recognizes growth (‘Dimorpha mutans, Z. f. W. Z.’ Bd. XXXVII. p. 445). This proposition must however be restricted, inasmuch as a development certainly occurs, although one which is coenogenetic and not palingenetic.

91

See the first essay on ‘The Duration of Life,’ p. 23 (#x7_x_7_i71)et seq.

92

See Appendix to the first essay on ‘The Duration of Life,’ pp. 43 (#x8_x_8_i50)-46.

93

See the first essay on ‘The Duration of Life,’ p. 21 (#x7_x_7_i64).

94

Häckel, ‘Ueber die Wellenzeugung der Lebenstheilchen etc.,’ Berlin, 1876.

95

Darwin, ‘The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication,’ vol. ii. 1875, chap. xxvii. pp. 344-399.

96

His, ‘Unsre Körperform etc.,’ Leipzig, 1875.

97

Brooks, ‘The Law of Heredity,’ Baltimore, 1883.

98

Galton’s experiments on transfusion in Rabbits have in the mean time really proved that Darwin’s gemmules do not exist. Roth indeed states that Darwin has never maintained that his gemmules make use of the circulation as a medium, but while on the one hand it cannot be shown why they should fail to take the favourable opportunities afforded by such a medium, inasmuch as they are said to be constantly circulating through the body; so on the other hand we cannot understand how the gemmules could contrive to avoid the circulation. Darwin has acted very wisely in avoiding any explanation of the exact course in which his gemmules circulate. He offered his hypothesis as a formal and not as a real explanation.