The History of Creation, Vol. 1 (of 2): Or the Development of the Earth and its Inhabitants by the Action of Natural CausesHaeckel, Ernst
Philosophy
The History of Creation, Vol. 1 (of 2): Or the Development of the Earth and its Inhabitants by the Action of Natural Causes
Haeckel, Ernst
Evolution; Heredity; Human beings -- Origin
The power of inheritance, moreover, shows itself very strikingly in the
formation and colour of the human skin and hair. It is well known how
exactly the nature of the complexion in many families—for instance, a
peculiar soft or rough skin, a peculiar luxuriance of the hair, a
peculiar colour and largeness of the eyes—is transmitted through many
generations. In like manner, peculiar local growths or spots on the
skin, the so-called moles, freckles, and other accumulations of pigment
which appear in certain places, are frequently transmitted through
several generations so exactly, that in the descendants they appear on
the same spots on which they existed in the parents. The porcupine men
of the Lambert family, who lived in London last century, are especially
celebrated. Edward Lambert, born in 1717, was remarkable for a most
unusual and monstrous formation of the skin. His whole body was covered
with a horny substance, about an inch thick, which rose in the form of
numerous thorn-shaped and scale-like processes, more than an inch long.
This monstrous formation of the outer skin, or epidermis, was
transmitted by Lambert to his sons and grandsons, but not to his
granddaughters. The transmission in this instance remained in the male
line, as is often the case. In like manner, an excessive development of
fat in certain parts of the body is often transmitted only in the
female line. I scarcely need call to mind how exactly the characteristic
formation of the face is transmitted by inheritance; sometimes it
remains within the male, sometimes within the female line; sometimes it
is blended in both.
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