Form and Function: a Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology

Abstract

A SCHOLARLY and thoughtful book like this makes one feel how much is lost to students of biology by lack of attention to the historical development of the science. Not only is the human interest missed, but also the educativeness of tracing the history of fundamental ideas. Moreover, for lack of historical discipline, the same mistakes. are made over and over again, and sound generalisations which have ceased to be prominent are unconsciously restated as new, it may be in a form far inferior to that given them by Cuvier, E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, von Baer, or some other outstanding thinker of older days. We welcome, therefore, Mr. Russell's contribution to the history of morphology, for it is based on many years of first-hand study of the documents and is illumined by insight. It is true history, not chronicle; it displays the continuous endeavour from Aristotle until to-day to understand the forms of animals, both in their original establishment and in their individual reproduction in every life-cycle.

Form and Function: a Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology.

By E. S. Russell. Pp. ix + 383. (London: John Murray, 1916.) Price 10s. 6d. net.