Wonderfully Made

THIS little book by Professor Rendle Short sets out to give an account of the structure and functions of the human body for the non-medical reader, and to present the student of physiology with accurate and up-to-date facts from a somewhat unusual angle. There is no doubt that the author succeeds in both these objects, and he gives a most interesting and instructive set of chapters ranging in subject matter from the human foot, the digestive system, the constancy of body temperature, functions of the brain, to how the embryo develops. Any person of normal intelligence could follow these, and a busy practitioner wishing to review the vast field of general physiology might turn to them for an hour or two with relief. The purpose of writing such a book is, however, not to teach anatomy and physiology, but rather to use this knowledge in considering the philosophical and religious implications of the various theories of man's origin. The writer contrasts the "Theory of Natural Selection," or the so-called Darwinism, with the "Theory of Divine Creation," in which he has a strong belief, and also with the "Theory of Entelechy." The latter theory postulates an innate perfecting force within the animal which operates as the motivating factor instead of the blind chance attributed to the Darwinian theory. Bergson's "Creative Evolution," and Morgan's "Emergent Evolution" are given as explanations of how entelechy works, rather than as different theories in their own right. It is, of course, impossible in the space at the author's disposal, to do little more than pose the problem, and some of his reasoning against the mechanism whereby scientists have tried to explain man's origin, is of doubtful quality. He very rightly calls attention to the failure of many teachers and learners to appreciate the wonders of the human body as a functioning whole, on account of their concentration on detail. A genuine attempt has been made to bring the calmness of mind and directness of thought of a surgeon to bear on the central cone of the problem of man's origin, and, although the mechanism may be variously conceived of, there can be few medical men today who would at heart doubt the ultimate dependence of man for his existence on a Supreme Being, call him God or any otlfer na.me you will. Whether or not you agree with the author on his explanation of the mechanism …