Erasmus Darwin / by Ernst Krause ; translated from the German by W.S. Dallas ; with a preliminary notice by Charles Darwin.

  • Krause Ernst, 1839-1903.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Erasmus Darwin / by Ernst Krause ; translated from the German by W.S. Dallas ; with a preliminary notice by Charles Darwin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    that he must for this purpose postulate an organ of self-help, a sensorium. In order to penetrate more clearly into the course of his ideas upon this point, I may be allowed to quote, in part, a passage from the 4 Phytologia ’ (Sect. xiv. 3, 2), and the rather because it at the same time fills a gap pur- posely left in the exposition of his philoso- phical system. “ There appears,” he says, “ to be a power 44 impressed on organized bodies by the great 44 author of all things by which they not only 44 increase in size and strength from their 44 embryon state to their maturity, and oc- 44 casionally cure their accidental diseases, and “ repair their accidental injuries, but also a “ power of producing armour to prevent those 44 more violent injuries, which would other- “ wise destroy them. Of this last kind are 44 the poisonous juices of some plants, as of 44 atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade, hy- 44 oscyamus, hen-bane, cynoylossum, hound’s “ tongue Some vegetables have 44 acquired an armour, which lessens, though 44 it does not totally prevent, the injuries of 44 this animal [the aphis]. This is most con-