Darwin and Modern ScienceSeward, A. C. (Albert Charles)
Philosophy
Darwin and Modern Science
Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Evolution (Biology); Science -- History
the lowest human races, Pithecanthropus, standing in the lower part of
it, and Homo primigenius in the higher, near man. In order to prevent
misunderstanding, I should like here to emphasise that in arranging this
structural series--anthropoid apes, Pithecanthropus, Homo primigenius,
Homo sapiens--I have no intention of establishing it as a direct
genealogical series. I shall have something to say in regard to the
genetic relations of these forms, one to another, when discussing the
different theories of descent current at the present day. ((Since
this essay was written Schoetensack has discovered near Heidelberg
and briefly described an exceedingly interesting lower jaw from rocks
between the Pliocene and Diluvial beds. This exhibits interesting
differences from the forms of lower jaw of Homo primigenius.
(Schoetensack "Der Unterkiefer des Homo heidelbergensis". Leipzig,
1908.) G.S.))
In quite a different domain from that of morphological relationship,
namely in the physiological study of the blood, results have recently
been gained which are of the highest importance to the doctrine of
descent. Uhlenhuth, Nuttall, and others have established the fact
that the blood-serum of a rabbit which has previously had human blood
injected into it, forms a precipitate with human blood. This biological
reaction was tried with a great variety of mammalian species, and it was
found that those far removed from man gave no precipitate under these
conditions. But as in other cases among mammals all nearly related forms
yield an almost equally marked precipitate, so the serum of a rabbit
treated with human blood and then added to the blood of an anthropoid
ape gives ALMOST as marked a precipitate as in human blood; the reaction
to the blood of the lower Eastern monkeys is weaker, that to the Western
monkeys weaker still; indeed in this last case there is only a slight
clouding after a considerable time and no actual precipitate. The blood
of the Lemuridae (Nuttall) gives no reaction or an extremely weak one,
that of the other mammals none whatever. We have in this not only a
proof of the literal blood-relationship between man and apes, but the
degree of relationship with the different main groups of apes can be
determined beyond possibility of mistake.
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