Hormones (chain), the secretions of various internal glands, which are carried in the blood and have an important specific influence on the growth and functioning of various parts of the body. Their exact nature is not yet understood.
Inborn usually means germinal, as applied to a trait, and it is so used in this book. Strictly speaking, however, any trait which appears in a child at birth might be called inborn, and some writers, particularly medical men, thus refer to traits acquired in prenatal life. Because of this ambiguity the word should be carefully defined when used, or avoided.
Inherent (in stick), as used in this book, is synonymous with germinal.
Induction (in lead), a change brought about in the germ-plasm with the effect of temporarily modifying the characters of an individual produced from that germ-plasm; but not of changing in a definite and permanent way any such germ-plasm and therefore any individual inherited traits.
Innate (inborn), synonymous with inborn.
Latent (lie hidden), a term applied to traits or characters whose factors exist in the germ-plasm of an individual, but which are not visible in his body.
Law, in natural science means a concise and comprehensive description of an observed uniform sequence of events. It is thus quite different from the law of jurists, who mean a rule laid down for the guidance of an intelligent being, by an intelligent being having power over him.
Mendelism, a collection of laws of heredity (see Appendix D) so-called after the discoverer of the first of them to become known; also the analytical study of heredity with a view to learning the constitution of the germ-cells of animals and plants.
Mendelize, to follow Mendel's laws of inheritance.
Mores (customs), the approved customs or unwritten laws of a people; the conventions of society; popular usage or folk-ways which are reputable.