Page:Evolution of Life (Henry Cadwalader Chapman, 1873).djvu/17

Rh that in his essay "On the Principle of the Unity of Organic Composition" he openly defended the doctrine of the transmutation of species. While in France Lamarck and St-Hilaire were studying the transmutation of species, Goethe and Oken were investigating the same subject in Germany. Goethe is famous as a poet, but is not so well known as a man of science. He, however, made the capital discovery of the intermaxillary bone in Man, which gives him rank as an anatomist, while his theory of the "Metamorphosis of Plants" has always been regarded as a most important contribution to philosophical Botany. In this work on Plants, Goethe develops the view of the different parts of the flower being modified leaves. This theory, which IS a beautiful illustration of Evolution, had been previously promulgated by Wolff, but had fallen into perfect oblivion. Goethe was always pointing out the "unity of Nature," and advocating the doctrine of Development, and must be considered one of the most distinguished of the German Biologists. Oken was one of the most remarkable men Germany has ever seen, not only for the extent of his knowledge, but for the originality of his views. Although his ideas are very often mystified by obscure language, nevertheless it is certain that he had a clear perception of some of the most important modern truths, such as the mechanical theory of Pleat, the doctrine of Cells, etc. His Idea of a "primordial mucosity" as the basis of life is very much like that of the "protoplasmic" doctrine of the present day. However this may be, there is no doubt that Oken was a firm believer in the Development theory of Lamarck.

Notwithstanding that the theory of the Transmutation of Species was defended by men of such ability as Lamarck, St.-Hilaire, Goethe, and Oken, it fell entirely into disrepute after 1830, the year of the famous discussion between Cuvier and St.-Hilaire at the Academy of Sciences. From