WCP2894

[1]

Principles Research Laboratory

The University, Birmingham

4 January 1908

Dear Russel Wallace,

I have read with much interest your article in The "Fortnightly Review", and find it clear and helpful. Would you permit me to ask a few questions, to be answered only at your complete leisure and convenience and I hope that they are such that they can be answered without giving you much trouble on entailing much writing. They refer to the inheritance of acquired characters.

I perceive that Weismannism is becoming a biological dogma (as evidenced for instance in a review by A.D.D. in yesterdays "Nature") and I see that you lend your great weight to it. But it seems to me a matter of such great importance consequence that, although an outsider, I do not feel able to accept it without modification or enquiry.

[2]

That certain surgical acquired characters are not inherited is plain enough; but surely diseases are acquired, and surely also they may have an effect upon the offspring.

Again, are we to suppose that all education and character training has an effect only upon the individual and none upon the race?

The instance of a sheep-do occurs to me, but I know the way that could be met.

Take the case however of a drunkard.

Does it not matter in the least to his offspring whether a young person gives way to a drunkenness or not? Inasmuch as his tendency there to is what it is, and cannot be altered. If so, we are being let in for a great deal of ‘determinism’ against which the human will and intelligence will be helpless.

May I interrogatively put the way in which the matter appeals to me as a physicist?

Acquired characteristics which affect only somatic cells will certainly not be transmitted, but will die with the individual. On the other hand, acquired characteristics which affect (to however small a degree) the germ cells, have a chance of [3] being transmitter. I say ‘a chance’ because of Mendelism. Surely yielding to drunkenness, for instance, or subjecting one’s self to conditions that bring on rheumatic gout, would have an effect in weakening or otherwise harming the sperm cells, and this would weaken or hurt the offspring.

If this be admitted, or even partially admitted, then it becomes a question what sort of acquired characters are able to affect germ cells in any degree whatsoever; and I suggest that the answer is that it is difficult to tell a priori and that we can judge best by the result; that is to say we must try to ascertain empirically whether or not the offspring has been influenced to any degree by acquired character, in which case we can be sure that that acquired character was one which affected the germ cells.

I think that I have now said enough to make my question clear. Instead if troubling you I might have written it a query to "Nature", but it would be perhaps impertinent for a physicist even to ask a question in Biology, except from someone whose kindness he is well aware.

[4]

I am writing an article on Immortality fir the Hibbert Journal — the first part appeared on the 1^st of this month: the second part will appear in April. In the second part I make some reference to psychological phenomenon as evidence, and I am much tempted to send you a spare proof of this part, which has been in type for some days; only I hesitate to trouble you with it. I submitted it to Mr Girdlestone, of Sutton Coldfield, whom perhaps you know, and he has been kind enough to criticise in a helpful manor.

Reverting once more to the acquired character question, I quite recognise the truth of your contention that the mental differences between people are on a totally different scale from the bodily differences, and that they are presumably not inhibited on averaged in a similar sort of way. But that by itself does not answer the question which I have tried to formulate in the earlier part of this letter.

Will you permit me to congratulate you on your great literary activity, and to wish you [5] continued health and happiness for many more years on this planet.

Believe me, | Faithfully yours | Oliver Lodge [signature]