Heredity

Abstract

IN his letter to NATURE of November 25 Sir Archdall Reid has ably stated some fundamental biological truths concerning heredity, and with many ot his statements I believe all biologists would agree. From the developmental point of view there is certainly a sense in which all characters are alike, arising as the result of the interplay of the germ and its environment, nature and nurture. In this limited sense it is doubtless beside the mark to inquire whether nature or nurture is more important, seeing that both are essential elements in any development at all. From this point of view it may be true, to cite Sir Archdall Reid's example, that there is no fundamental difference between the head and the scar; both may be in one sense germinal, and in another acquired.