________________
THE KARMA PHENOMENOLOGY.
and adaptation to the environment working out these differencees in the spheres of organic evolution. But such eminent biologists as Dr. August Weisman and a good many others of equal authority and repute deny that hereditary tendencies of the parents predominate in one; of the grand-father in another; those of the grandmother in the third and the like. Not this
as
alone. Weisman goes further and reasons out that the acquired tendencies are never trans mitted to the offsprings. He believes in the 'continuity of germ-plasm' and is of opinion that the inequalities are caused by the differences in germ-cells'. "I have called this substance germ-plasm", says Weisman, "and have assumed that it possesses a highly coniplex structure, conferring upon it the power of developing into a complex organism" Heredity-Vol. I. p. 170). Dr. Weisman states further: "there is therefore continuity of the germ-plasm from one generation to another. One might represent the germ-plasm by the metaphor of a long creeping root-stock from which plants arise at intervals, these latter representing the
289
Dr. man Heredity.
Weisand
37
