The Foundations of the Origin of Species: Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844Darwin, Charles
Philosophy
The Foundations of the Origin of Species: Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844
Darwin, Charles
Evolution (Biology); Natural selection
There is another class of allied and almost identical facts, admitted by
the soberest physiologists, [from the study of a certain set of organs
in a group of organisms] and refers <? referring> to a unity of type of
different organs in the same individual, denominated the science of
"Morphology." The <? this> discovered by beautiful and regular series,
and in the case of plants from monstrous changes, that certain organs in
an individual are other organs metamorphosed. Thus every botanist
considers petals, nectaries, stamens, pistils, germen as metamorphosed
leaf. They thus explain, in the most lucid manner, the position and
number of all parts of the flower, and the curious conversion under
cultivation of one part into another. The complicated double set of jaws
and palpi of crustaceans{150}, and all insects are considered as
metamorphosed <limbs> and to see the series is to admit this phraseology.
The skulls of the vertebrates are undoubtedly composed of three
metamorphosed vertebrae; thus we can understand the strange form of the
separate bones which compose the casket holding man's brain. These{151}
facts differ but slightly from those of last section, if with wing,
paddle, hand and hoof, some common structure was yet visible, or could
be made out by a series of occasional monstrous conversions, and if
traces could be discovered of <the> whole having once existed as walking or
swimming instruments, these organs would be said to be metamorphosed, as
it is they are only said to exhibit a common type.
{150} See _Origin_, Ed. i. p. 437, vi. p. 599.
{151} The following passage seems to have been meant to precede the
sentence beginning "These facts":--"It is evident, that when in
each individual species, organs are metamorph. a unity of type
extends."
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