Problem of the Inheritance of Acquired Characters: A History of a 'Priori' and Empirical Methods Used to Find a Solution

摘要

The book is devoted to the problem of the inheritance of acquired characters and the centuries-long controversy over this topic. The views of Lamarck and Darwin are presented in detail. Experiments are described and their results evaluated for investigations concerning the inheritance of the effects of mechanical, thermal, nutritional, and immunological influences. The author gives his own views on the inheritance of acquired behavioral traits, on the influence of the maternal organism bearing a foreign fetus, and on 'vegetative hybridization.' It is proven that the inheritance of acquired characters is impossible. The book is intended for biologists of various specialities (geneticists, embryologists, physiologists, zoologists, botanists, and others). (Copyright (c) 1982 Smithsonian Institution.)