HEREDITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1227, 8 September 1911, Page 8

HEREDITY.

LECTURE BY PROFESSOR KIRK. At the Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall last evening, Professor H. B. Kirk delivered a lecture on "Heredity," the address being given under the auspices of tho Library Committee and the Eugenics Education Society. Dr. T. F. Hay, Inspector of Prisons, presided, and there was a largo attendance. Tho lecturer stated that the subject was one Well within tho domain of tho biologist. It was, however, a subject of tremendous extent, and it was a rathor daring thing for anyone to attempt to treat it in ono lecture. After an opening reference as to, what constituted heredity, Professor. Kirk remarked that, though it was not generally believed that acquired characteristics were inherited, thero were still many who did believe so, tho leader of this school being Ernst Hacckel. It had been a matter of great endeavour for supporters of the opposite view to gain a hearing, and that was natural enough, considering that they were supporting a negative theory as against a positive one. He went on to refer to the fairness with which tho controversy was conducted, and, 50 far from suppressing facts, many, who had • endeavoured to prove the positive theory, bad very frankly published the result of their experiments in favour of the negative. Though it was now fairly well established that acquired character could not be transmitted, thero was beginning to bo a body of ovidence pointing to the conclusion that germ plasm can be affected through the body cell. The lecturer then proceeded to refer to the question of environment, to the classes of diseases inherited, and to tho various other branches of the subject. At tho conclusion tho lecturer was accorded a vote of thanks.