Frith Hill, Godalming
Sept. 26th.1888
My dear Mr Poulton
I am getting towards the end of my long-delayed little volume on Popular Darwinism & I am writing a chapter on "Fundamental Problems in relation to Variation & Heredity" in which I give a brief sketch of the views of H. Spencer, Cope, Semper, Geddes, & Weismann. I was going to get what I wanted of Weismann from the abstracts in "Nature" which will do for what I want, except that I should like to see his full discussion [2] of the non-inheritance of acquired characters — which, as all the other writers take the opposite for granted is the most vital point. If therefore you can let me have a sight of the proof of this part (or spare me a duplicate proof) on your return to Oxford, I shall be much obliged.
I should also like to see his paper on isolation and his theory of "panmixia" — for though I see clearly that certain results would be thus[?]-produced I cannot but think he has imputed too much to this [3] — if I have got a correct notion of his views.
I have already (in my MSS.) answered Spencer’s argument from the diminished size of jaws of civilised man by means of Galton’s proof of the law of "Regression towards Mediocrity" — which seems to me much the same as Weismann’s "Panmixia". It seems to me that this law, combined with reversion (an extreme form of the same) economy of growth, — and in most cases natural selection, will explain all the supposed cases of inheritance of acquired characters, — with a very [4]1few special exceptions which are cases in which a special explanation is available, as in the Brown-Sequard rabbits and the salt & fresh water changes of Crustacea quoted by Semper (Artemia salvia, A[rtemia] Melhausenii, and Branchipus stagnalis).
But no doubt Weismann discusses all this with his usual thoroughness, and I am anxious to see what he says.
Yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4353.4576)]
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Envelope addressed to "E. B. Poulton Esq., Koorum House, Seaview, Ryde, I. of Wight", with stamp, postmarked "GODALMING | E | 26 SP | 88"; postmark on back. [Envelope (WCP4353.4577)]
Please cite as “WCP4353,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 25 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4353