The Case of the Midwife Toad

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The narrative centers on Dr. Paul Kammerer, whose suicide in 1926 marked a dramatic end to a fierce debate in evolutionary biology. His experiments with amphibians, particularly salamanders and the midwife toad, supported the Lamarckian theory of inherited acquired characteristics, challenging the neo-Darwinist perspective of evolution through chance mutations and natural selection. Kammerer's work ignited significant controversy, pitting him against established scientists and ultimately leading to his tragic demise amidst the scientific turmoil.