Note 61 — Chapter V

Nature, May 11, pp. 28-29.—In 1891-2 Professor Hartog furnished a criticism of Weismann’s theory of Heredity (Nature, vol. 44. p. 613, and Contemporary Review, July, 1892). Although disputed at the time by some of Weismann’s followers in England, this criticism was one of unquestionable cogency, and has now been recognized as such by Weismann himself (The Germ-plasm, pp. 434-5). The main point of the criticism had been missed by previous critics of Weismann, and consisted in revealing an important “difficulty” inherent in the structure of the theory itself. How far this criticism had the effect of causing Professor Weismann to abandon his theory of variation being exclusively due to amphimixis, as Professor Hartog appears to think (Nature, May 11, 1893, p. 28), is immaterial. But it must be observed that as far back as February, 1890, Professor Weismann in his answer to Professor Vines’ criticism wrote the passage already quoted on page 152.