Biological Terminology

Abstract

(a) “VARIATION is the sole cause of non-inheritance”; (b) “Apart from variations like exactly begets like, when parent and child develop under like conditions”; (c) “The development of the individual is a recapitulation (with additions and subtractions due to variations) of the evolution of the race.” Here are three statements which seem to me “in effect” identical. To Dr. Bather the first two seem identical, but not the third. But if the child in his own development step by step recapitulates (with variations) the development of the parent, and the parent in the same way recapitulated that of the grandparent, and so on to the beginning, how, in the world, can the development of the individual be anything other than a recapitulation (with the accumulated variations) of the evolution of the race? If that be so, does not (b) necessarily involve (c)? (c) is merely (b) applied to a succession of parents and children. Dr. Bather says (NATURE, October 27, p. 271) that this is not what biologists mean. Then what do they mean? “Recapitulation” must be one of those terrible words which, like “inherit,” are used, quite unconsciously, with a number of diverse and even contradictory meanings.