so on our hands. At any rate, the morphologist can trace the development of the footpads, nails, hoofs, and horns, step by step from small beginnings. The cells of the Malpighian stratum, of the inner, active portion of our epidermis, are excited to extra activity, and by continually producing more horn cells than peel off the surface of the skin in the normal process of wear and tear cause the formation of the pad. It need scarcely be mentioned that hypertrophic growths are not necessarily useful; they are often harmful, and in that case pathological.
Lastly, a few words about the very difficult question of teleology. In trying to explain Evolution in a mechanical—sometimes called monistic, but in reality natural—way, we exclude anything like a set purpose, a goal, or ideal, a final condition which the organism strives to attain. Unknown, however, to many morphologists, especially embryologists, their writings are full of this teleological notion. Indeed, there are many cases
