Reflections on method

Theodor Boveri's evaluation of "natural experiments" and their table-top simulation

pp. 47-49

in: Klaus Sander, Landmarks in developmental biology 1883–1924, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

As described in the previous Essay, Theodor Boveri, by exploiting the "natural experiment" of sea urchin dispermy, demonstrated that embryogenesis requires "a certain combination of chromosomes", possibly the full chromosome complement. The main topic of this Essay is his reflections on the methods he employed, and on their value for gaining previously inaccessible insights.