Ancient atomistic philosophers explained apparent change in nature by the coming together of indestructible and indivisible, unchanging and eternal atoms in different combinations at different times. The discovery of the seemingly unlimited regenerative powers of the polyp, Hydra viridis, by Abraham Trembley in 1740 lent empirical support to the view that organisms, their formation and their growth, could be compared to crystals, both being composed of parts. With his theory of embryogenesis, Georges Buffon in 1749 introduced the distinction of organic and inorganic matter. He explained the mixed inheritance of parental characteristics by the offspring with the theory that the embryo forms by the coming together of organic molecules derived from both parent bodies. Maupertuis speculated in 1751 that if accidental ‘mistakes’ could occur in the coming together of parts during the formation of an embryo, and if these ‘mistakes’ were, or could become, heritable, a mechanism would be at hand to explain species transformation.
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Notes
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Rieppel, O. (2011). Changing World Views. In: Evolutionary Theory and the Creation Controversy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14896-5_3
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