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Matter
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questioned by many biologists of the present day. They think that it is impossible to account for the orderly growth of limbs and organs by mere positions and mutual influences of the original cells. To expect the growth and development of an organism from a number of unaided cells is akin to the attempt of ultra-materialism at explaining the origin of the ordered universe from a chaos of material atoms. Accordingly, Weisman and others maintain that the capacity to develop the limbs and organs must be supposed to be inherent in the nature of the sexual cells themselves. Weisman's scheme begins with Biophores, the most fundamental of the cellular substance. These Biophores are supposed to lie orginally in the nucleus of a cell and then to pass out into its general protoplasm and rule its activities. A number of Biophores constitutes what is called a Determinant. Determinants correspond to the number of parts of an organism independently variable. These Determinants cohere together and form an Id, which is thus a microcosm, so to say. Id is the basic substance for the new organism and is possessed of all its activities. The nuclear material of a dividing cell breaks up into a definite number of what are called Chromosomes. Weisman calls the Chromosomes Idants. Chromosomes or Idants are more complex than protoplasm and are really constituted of the microcosmata, the above-mentioned Ids.
How IT GOES AGAINST THE THEORY OF EPIGENESIS
Weisman's theory inspite of the fact that conjecture plays a considerable part in its conception of Ids, Determinants etc. is undoubtedly a remarkable theory. It is the subject of sustained observation and scientific investigation in present days. It replaces the doctrines of Pangenesis and Epigenesis by a new conception of the germplasm in which the capacities to develop into parts and limbs of an organism are held to be inherent. If the Darwinian doctrine of the Gemmulae having their genesis in the cells of the various parts of the organism and developing themselves into those parts from which they, originated, as
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