The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication · Charles Darwin
REFERENCES
Mr. F. Galton, after describing his valuable experiments (‘Proc. Royal Soc.,’ vol. xix. p. 393) on the intertransfusion of the blood of distinct varieties of the rabbit, concludes by saying that in his opinion the results negative beyond all doubt the doctrine of Pangenesis. He informs me that subsequently to the publication of his paper he continued his experiments on a still larger scale for two more generations, without any sign of mongrelism showing itself in the very numerous offspring. I certainly should have expected that gemmules would have been present in the blood, but this is no necessary part of the hypothesis, which manifestly applies to plants and the lowest animals. Mr. Galton, in a letter to ‘Nature’ (April 27th, 1871, p. 502), also criticises various incorrect expressions used by me. On the other hand, several writers have spoken favourably of the hypothesis, but there would be no use in giving references to their articles. I may, however, refer to Dr. Ross’ work, ‘The Graft Theory of Disease; being an application of Mr. Darwin’s hypothesis of Pangenesis,’ 1872, as he gives several original and ingenious discussions. [2] Quoted by Paget, ‘Lectures on Pathology,’ 1853, p. 159. [3] Dr. Lachmann, also, observes (‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. History,’ 2nd series, vol. xix. 1857, p. 231) with respect to infusoria, that “fissation and gemmation pass into each other almost imperceptibly.” Again, Mr. W. C. Minor (‘Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,’ 3rd series, vol. xi. p. 328) shows that with Annelids the distinction that has been made between fission and budding is not a fundamental one. _See also_ Professor Clark’s work ‘Mind in Nature,’ New York, 1865, pp. 62, 94.
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