Edwin Ray Lankester an Ernst Haeckel, Oxford, 15. November 1876
Exeter College
Oxford
Nov. 15th
My dear Professor Haeckel,
I have found the Jenaische Zeitschrift, 9te Band Drittes Heft at Messrs Churchill’s.a It would be best if posted to me here. I have been greatly pleased in reading your article, and am very glad to have the new terminology, archi- amphi- peri- disco- gastrula. Your objections to planula are, I admit, strong. But there are some points still to be cleared up, which you || do not – go into – in your article.
Does the Gastrula-mouth ever persist in any animal as mouth? You will I believe say yes – as mouth and anus combined in some Coelenterata. This however, b needs to be very definitely stated with new and full accounts of such cases of Coelenterata develop!
2. Does the Gastrula mouth persist as mouth in any Vermes or Typozoa? You will, I think, say you incline with me to think not, but only (if it persists at all) as anus. These two points are very important || I think.
3. There is further the puzzling question of the origin of Coelons. Is the Coelon primitively a gastrovascular space an enterocoel? and does it become schizocoel by heterotopy. How else can you account for Sagitta, Terebratula, & Echinodermes?
Yet I can not but think that some portion of the mesoblast came primitively from epiblast, as it does in Coelenterata today. Your words heterotopy & heterochrony are most welcome. I have for some time as you know, been busy in putting forward the doctrine, which you || have so conveniently summed up, under the word ,heterotopie’.
I write to ask – if you will let your lithographer supply me with 540 copies eachc of Plates XIX, XX, XXIII & XXIV, for publication in the January number of my journal, in which I propose to give an account of your new paper. It will be very much cheaper if your lithographer will supply me, than if I have to get the plates re-engraved in England. If you do not like to have so much of your paper reproduced, will you let me have XIX, XX, & XXIII only? Will you let me know soon, if I can have copies? & how much the lithographer will charge, for each plate. I should want the copies delivered in London by Dec. 15th. I am, my dear Prof. Haeckel,
Sincerely yours
E. Ray Lankester
a eingef.: at Messrs Churchill’s.; b gestr.: wants; c eingef.: each