THE PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITY.
The Principles of Heredity. By G. Archdall Reid. (Chapman and Hall. 12s. 6d.)---Mr. Reid does not believe in heredity, in the heredity that transmits parental acquirements, or in the variation caused by environment. The development of the individual is a blurred recapitulation of the life-history of the race. That is to say, Nature finds a difficulty in making exact copies, and retrogression is a greater force than pro- gression, and even fights against natural selection. Mr. Reid has already established a reputation as a clear and forcible thinker, and he ably sustains it in the present volume. An example of his clearness and orderliness of method is to be found in the chapter on "Narcotics," which also illustrates his breadth of view and his refusal to narrow his arguments, except when following premisses to a legitimate conclu- sion. It is this quality of suggestion, of imagination, and the ability to compel history to contribute facts to his arguments, that make his work valuable to the student, and also readable to the unscientific thinker.
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