La función del principio de la compensación de los órganos en el transformismo de Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire

Abstract

Looking for a more accurate comprehension of Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire's anatomical Philosophy and, particularly, of his transformist thesis, we analyze the meaning of its principle of the compensation of organs and we compare it with the principle of the correlation of forms formulated by Cuvier. This analysis serves us to show that the program of Geoffroy tried to surpass the anomalies of the cuvierian program, integrating its results inside a more extensive theoretical frame. A frame that would permit to understand, not only the functioning, but also the constitution of organic forms.