Use-Inheritance: Illustrated by the Direction of Hair on the Bodies of Animals (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Walter Aubrey Kidd

9780484689120: Use-Inheritance: Illustrated by the Direction of Hair on the Bodies of Animals (Classic Reprint)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0484689126 ISBN 13: 9780484689120

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

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A clear, accessible look at how habit and use may influence inherited traits, illustrated through the direction of hair on animals and humans.

This edition presents a thoughtful challenge to the idea that acquired traits can never be inherited.

This study assembles observations from domesticated animals, zoo specimens, and human subjects to examine how hair patterns are formed and passed down. It explores concepts of Use-Inheritance, contrasting Lamarckian ideas with Weismann’s theory, and asks readers to consider how habits, movement, and environment might shape hereditary traits over generations. The author uses the horse as a focal example, alongside other mammals, to illustrate how hair grows, slopes, and sometimes whorls or crests in relation to muscle action and behavior. The work does not pretend to exhaust the subject, but aims to test specific claims about inheritance of acquired characters through concrete, observable phenomena.

Learn how whorls, feathering, and crests form in furry coats and why they matter to different species.
See how hair direction varies on the body and how movement and habits may influence these patterns.
Understand the debate between inherited traits versus habit-driven changes in animals and humans.
Explore practical examples, including the Domestic Horse, dogs, and human hair patterns, to ground the discussion.

Ideal for readers curious about the history of evolutionary ideas and the biology of hair patterns across animals and people.

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