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preformationism

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
preformationism
the theory that an organism is fully formed at conception and that reproduction is thereafter simply a process of growth. — preformationist, n.
See also: Biology
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Preformationism has entered the canon of the history of science as something of a joke, its theories of homunculi (tiny figures observed inside sperm) and the aura seminalis (a mysterious energizing essence in semen) treated as the subjects of ridicule.
The Ovary of Eve: Egg and Sperm and Preformation by Thomas, Joe A. / The Journal of Sex Research
Preformationism was not, however, merely a rash extension of microscopy; it seemed the rational alternative to its only basic rival: epigenesis.
The Ovary of Eve: Egg and Sperm and Preformation by O'Brien, Dennis / Commonweal
 
 
 
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