Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
names of the pangenetic and genetic theories, and again came into
conflict, as happened in Antiquity. The pangenetic theory was prop-
agated by, among others, Buffon (1707-1788), Pierre Louis Moreau
de Maupertuis (1698-1759) and Darwin. The genetic theory was ini-
tiated by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), August Weismann (1834-1914)
and Hugo De Vries (1848-1935) to become the theory dominating
the whole of biology in the 20th century, following the work of
Thomas Morgan (1866-1945). After recalling the history, we shall
return to the current problems to free ourselves from these former
ways of thinking and position ontophylogenesis in this debate.
Our analysis will reveal to what extent modern biology is still
impregnated with pre-scientific essentialism, hindering its develop-
ment. This essentialism presents the Form as the prime entity and
one that it seems impossible to go beyond, and gives rise to the con-
tradiction in genetic determinism. We shall see that this impasse
originates in the belief we have in the reality of the species. We are
blinded by what seems absolutely obvious, and this leads us to see
the species as the insurmountable horizon of biological thought
(Kupiec, 1999, 2004).
7.1
Generation according to Hippocrates
Hippocrates is considered to be the founder of medicine. He lived
in Greece in the 5th century B.C. His writings are grouped into a
Hippocratic Collection
consisting of about sixty treatises concerning
a great many aspects of medicine and biology, but a large part of
these treatises were in fact written by his disciples. Hippocrates'
medicine was for a long time very influential. It is based on the
physiological theory that there are four humours: phlegm, blood,
yellow bile and black bile, and that imbalance between these
humours inside the organism causes disease. A major influence is
also attributed to the environment.
Two treatises of the
Hippocratic Collection
entitled
On
Generation
and
On the Nature of the Child
tackle the questions of
heredity and embryogenesis which concern us. According to
Hippocrates, the sperm contains humour emanating from all parts
