Now turn to the other main Lamarckian principle, the idea that such acquired characteristics are then inherited by future generations. All evidence suggests that this idea is simply false, but through most of history it has been believed to be true. Lamarck did not invent it, but simply incorporated the folk wisdom of his time. In some circles it is still believed. My mother had a dog who occasionally affected a limp, holding up one hind leg and hobbling on the other three. A neighbour had an older dog who had unfortunately lost one hind leg in a car accident. She was convinced that her dog must be the father of my mother's dog, the evidence being that he had obviously inherited his limp. Folk wisdom and fairy tales are filled with similar legends. Many people either believe, or would like to believe, in the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Until this century it was the dominant theory of heredity among serious biologists too. Darwin himself believed in it, but it was not a part of his theory of evolution so his name is not linked to it in our minds.
