The Biological Problem of To-day: Preformation Or Epigenesis? by Oscar Hertwig

Read now or download (free!)

Choose how to read this book Url Size
Read online (web) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.html.images 309 kB
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.epub3.images 525 kB
EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.epub.images 526 kB
EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.epub.noimages 164 kB
Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.kf8.images 778 kB
older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.kindle.images 749 kB
Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37221.txt.utf-8 267 kB
Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/37221/pg37221-h.zip 515 kB
There may be more files related to this item.

About this eBook

Author Hertwig, Oscar, 1849-1922
Translator Mitchell, P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers), Sir, 1864-1945
Uniform Title Präformation oder Epigenese? English
Title The Biological Problem of To-day: Preformation Or Epigenesis?
The Basis of a Theory of Organic Development
Alternate Title The Biological Problem of Today: Preformation Or Epigenesis?
The Basis of a Theory of Organic Development
Credits Produced by Bryan Ness, Josephine Paolucci and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This
book was produced from scanned images of public domain
material from the Google Print project.)
Summary "The Biological Problem of To-day: Preformation Or Epigenesis?" by Oscar Hertwig is a scientific treatise written in the late 19th century. This work delves into the biological debate concerning the nature of development, specifically examining two opposing theories: preformation, which posits that all characteristics of an organism are already present in a miniature form within the germ, and epigenesis, which suggests that development is a progressive formation from an initially unorganized state. Hertwig's exploration of these theories is informed by his expertise in embryology and cell biology. The opening of the book sets up the central question regarding whether embryonic development represents a preformed structure or an elaborative process shaped by environmental influences. Hertwig introduces the ideas of other biologists, particularly focusing on August Weismann's germplasm theory, which classifies hereditary material as distinct and stable while addressing the complexities of reproduction and differentiation. Through critical analysis, Hertwig aims to establish that true development relies on epigenesis, where the organism grows and develops through interactions with its surroundings, rather than merely revealing what was predetermined in the germ. The opening serves as a prelude to a deeper examination of the implications each theory carries for understanding heredity and the intricacies of life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class QH: Science: Natural history
Subject Developmental biology
Subject Embryology
Subject Genetics
Category Text
EBook-No. 37221
Release Date
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 89 downloads in the last 30 days.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!