第 37 节
作者:无组织      更新:2022-04-21 11:08      字数:9321
  nor how much he despises them; who is altogether exempt?
  Finally; then; when we consider the immense mass of evidence
  referred to briefly; but sufficiently; by Mr。 Charles Darwin; and
  referred to without other; for the most part; than off…hand
  dismissal by Professor Weismann in the last of the essays that have
  been recently translated; I do not see how any one who brings an
  unbiased mind to the question can hesitate as to the side on which
  the weight of testimony inclines。  Professor Weismann declares that
  〃the transmission of mutilations may be dismissed into the domain of
  fable。〃 {38}  If so; then; whom can we trust?  What is the use of
  science at all if the conclusions of a man as competent as I readily
  admit Mr。 Darwin to have been; on the evidence laid before him from
  countless sources; is to be set aside lightly and without giving the
  clearest and most cogent explanation of the why and wherefore?  When
  we see a person 〃ostrichising〃 the evidence which he has to meet; as
  clearly as I believe Professor Weismann to be doing; we shall in
  nine cases out of ten be right in supposing that he knows the
  evidence to be too strong for him。
  THE DEADLOCK IN DARWINISMPART III
  Now let me return to the recent division of biological opinion into
  two main streamsLamarckism and Weismannism Both Lamarckians and
  Weismannists; not to mention mankind in general; admit that the
  better adapted to its surroundings a living form may be; the more
  likely it is to outbreed its compeers。  The world at large; again;
  needs not to be told that the normal course is not unfrequently
  deflected through the fortunes of war; nevertheless; according to
  Lamarckians and Erasmus…Darwinians; habitual effort; guided by ever…
  growing intelligencethat is to say; by continued increase of power
  in the matter of knowing our likes and dislikeshas been so much
  the main factor throughout the course of organic development; that
  the rest; though not lost sight of; may be allowed to go without
  saying。  According; on the other hand; to extreme Charles…Darwinians
  and Weismannists; habit; effort and intelligence acquired during the
  experience of any one life goes for nothing。  Not even a little
  fraction of it endures to the benefit of offspring。  It dies with
  him in whom it is acquired; and the heirs of a man's body take no
  interest therein。  To state this doctrine is to arouse instinctive
  loathing; it is my fortunate task to maintain that such a nightmare
  of waste and death is as baseless as it is repulsive。
  The split in biological opinion occasioned by the deadlock to which
  Charles…Darwinism has been reduced; though comparatively recent;
  widens rapidly。  Ten years ago Lamarck's name was mentioned only as
  a byword for extravagance; now; we cannot take up a number of Nature
  without seeing how hot the contention is between his followers and
  those of Weismann。  This must be referred; as I implied earlier; to
  growing perception that Mr。 Darwin should either have gone farther
  towards Lamarckism or not so far。  In admitting use and disuse as
  freely as he did; he gave Lamarckians leverage for the overthrow of
  a system based ostensibly on the accumulation of fortunate
  accidents。  In assigning the lion's share of development to the
  accumulation of fortunate accidents; he tempted fortuitists to try
  to cut the ground from under Lamarck's feet by denying that the
  effects of use and disuse can be inherited at all。  When the public
  had once got to understand what Lamarck had intended; and wherein
  Mr。 Charles Darwin had differed from him; it became impossible for
  Charles…Darwinians to remain where they were; nor is it easy to see
  what course was open to them except to cast about for a theory by
  which they could get rid of use and disuse altogether。  Weismannism;
  therefore; is the inevitable outcome of the straits to which
  Charles…Darwinians were reduced through the way in which their
  leader had halted between two opinions。
  This is why Charles…Darwinians; from Professor Huxley downwards;
  have kept the difference between Lamarck's opinions and those of Mr。
  Darwin so much in the background。  Unwillingness to make this
  understood is nowhere manifested more clearly than in Dr。 Francis
  Darwin's life of his father。  In this work Lamarck is sneered at
  once or twice; and told to go away; but there is no attempt to state
  the two cases side by side; from which; as from not a little else; I
  conclude that Dr。 Francis Darwin has descended from his father with
  singularly little modification。
  Proceeding to the evidence for the transmissions of acquired habits;
  I will quote two recently adduced examples from among the many that
  have been credibly attested。  The first was contributed to Nature
  (March 14; 1889) by Professor Marcus M。 Hartog; who wrote:…
  〃A。 B。 is moderately myopic and very astigmatic in the left eye;
  extremely myopic in the right。  As the left eye gave such bad images
  for near objects; he was compelled in childhood to mask it; and
  acquired the habit of leaning his head on his left arm for writing;
  so as to blind that eye; or of resting the left temple and eye on
  the hand; with the elbow on the table。  At the age of fifteen the
  eyes were equalised by the use of suitable spectacles; and he soon
  lost the habit completely and permanently。  He is now the father of
  two children; a boy and a girl; whose vision (tested repeatedly and
  fully) is emmetropic in both eyes; so that they have not inherited
  the congenital optical defect of their father。  All the same; they
  have both of them inherited his early acquired habit; and need
  constant watchfulness to prevent their hiding the left eye when
  writing; by resting the head on the left forearm or hand。  Imitation
  is here quite out of the question。
  〃Considering that every habit involves changes in the proportional
  development of the muscular and osseous systems; and hence probably
  of the nervous system also; the importance of inherited habits;
  natural or acquired; cannot be overlooked in the general theory of
  inheritance。  I am fully aware that I shall be accused of flat
  Lamarckism; but a nickname is not an argument。〃
  To this Professor Ray Lankester rejoined (Nature; March 21; 1889):…
  〃It is not unusual for children to rest the head on the left forearm
  or hand when writing; and I doubt whether much value can be attached
  to the case described by Professor Hartog。  The kind of observation
  which his letter suggests is; however; likely to lead to results
  either for or against the transmission of acquired characters。  An
  old friend of mine lost his right arm when a schoolboy; and has ever
  since written with his left。  He has a large family and
  grandchildren; but I have not heard of any of them showing a
  disposition to left…handedness。〃
  From Nature (March 21; 1889) I take the second instance communicated
  by Mr。 J。 Jenner…Weir; who wrote as follows:…
  〃Mr。 Marcus M。 Hartog's letter of March 6th; inserted in last week's
  number (p。 462); is a very valuable contribution to the growing
  evidence that acquired characters may be inherited。  I have long
  held the view that such is often the case; and I have myself
  observed several instances of the; at least I may say; apparent
  fact。
  〃Many years ago there was a very fine male of the Capra megaceros in
  the gardens of the Zoological Society。  To restrain this animal from
  jumping over the fence of the enclosure in which he was confined; a
  long; and heavy chain was attached to the collar round his neck。  He
  was constantly in the habit of taking this chain up by his horns and
  moving it from one side to another over his back; in doing this he
  threw his head very much back; his horns being placed in a line with
  the back。  The habit had become quite chronic with him; and was very
  tiresome to look at。  I was very much astonished to observe that his
  offspring inherited the habit; and although it was not necessary to
  attach a chain to their necks; I have often seen a young male
  throwing his horns over his back and shifting from side to side an
  imaginary chain。  The action was exactly the same as that of his
  ancestor。  The case of the kid of this goat appears to me to be
  parallel to that of child and parent given by Mr。 Hartog。  I think
  at the time I made this observation I informed Mr。 Darwin of the
  fact by letter; and he did not accuse me of 'flat Lamarckism。'〃
  To this letter there was no rejoinder。  It may be said; of course;
  that the action of the offspring in each of these cases was due to
  accidental coincidence only。  Anything can be said; but the question
  turns not on what an advocate can say; but on what a reasonably
  intelligent and disinterested jury will believe; granted they might
  be mistaken in accepting the foregoing stories; but the world of
  science; like that of commerce; is based on the faith or confidence;
  which both creates and sustains them。  Indeed the universe itself is
  but the creature of faith; for assuredly we know of no other
  foundation。  There is nothing so generally and reasonably accepted
  not even our own continued identitybut questions may be raised
  about it that will shortly prove unanswerable。  We cannot so test
  every sixpence given us in change