get more out of balance—must have a larger and larger amounts of
re-organization to be made during their lives. Hence the constitution of
the variety must become more and more unworkable.
The only imaginable alternative is that the re-adjustments are effected
in course of time by natural selection. But, in the first place, as we
find no proof of concomitant variation among directly co-operative parts
which are closely united, there cannot be assumed any concomitant
variation among parts which are both indirectly co-operative and far
from one another. And, in the second place, before all the many required
re-adjustments could be made, the variety would die out from defective
constitution. Even were there no such difficulty, we should still have
to entertain a strange group of propositions, which would stand as
follows:—1. Change in one part entails, by reaction on the organism,
changes, in other parts, the functions of which are necessarily changed.
2. Such changes worked in the individual, affect, in some way, the
reproductive elements: these being found to evolve unusual structures
when the constitutional balance has been continuously disturbed. 3. But
the changes in the reproductive elements thus caused, are not such as
represent these functionally-produced changes: the modifications
conveyed to offspring are irrelevant to these various modifications
functionally produced in the organs of the parents. 4. Nevertheless,
while the balance of functions cannot be re-established through
inheritance of the effects of disturbed functions on structures, wrought
throughout the individual organism; it can be re-established by the
inheritance of fortuitous variations which occur in all the affected
organs without reference to these changes of function.
Now without saying that acceptance of this group of propositions is
impossible, we may certainly say that it is not easy.
* * * * *
“But where are the direct proofs that inheritance of
functionally-produced modifications takes place?” is a question which
will be put by those who have committed themselves to the current
exclusive interpretation. “Grant that there are difficulties; still,
before the transmitted effects of use and disuse can be legitimately
assigned in explanation of them, we must have good evidence that the
effects of use and disuse _are_ transmitted.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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