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Vestigial Organs Are Fully Functional: A History and Evaluation of the Vestigial Organ Origins Concept
Book by Jerry Bergman, George Howe
97 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1990
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Bergman
60 books19 followersPh.D. in Human Biology, Columbia Pacific University, San Rafael, California
Ph.D. in measurement and evaluation, minor in psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit
M.S. in Biomedical Science, Medical College of Ohio
Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology at Northwest State College in Archbold OH for over 17 years. Now completing his 9th degree, Dr. Bergman has over 600 publications in 12 languages and 20 books and monographs. He has also taught at the Medical College of Ohio where was a research associate in the department of experimental pathology, and he also taught 6 years at the University of Toledo, and 7 years at Bowling Green State University.
Dr. Bergman has presented over one hundred scientific papers at professional and community meetings in the United States, Canada, and Europe. To discuss his research, he has been a featured speaker on many college campuses throughout the United States and Europe, and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs. His research has made the front page in newspapers throughout the country, has been featured by the Paul Harvey Show several times, and has been discussed by David Brinkley, Chuck Colson, and other nationally known commentators on national television.
His other work experience includes over ten years experience at various Mental Health/Psychology clinics as a licensed professional clinical counselor and three years full time corrections research for a large county circuit court in Michigan and inside the walls of Jackson Prison (SPSM), the largest walled prison in the world. He has also served as a consultant for CBS News, ABC News, Reader’s Digest, Amnesty International, several government agencies and for two Nobel Prize winners, including the inventor of the transistor. In the past decade he has consulted or has testified as an expert witness or consultant in almost one-hundred court cases. A Fellow of the American Scientific Association, member of The National Association for the Advancement of Science, and many other professional associations, he is listed in Who’s Who in America.
Ph.D. in measurement and evaluation, minor in psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit
M.S. in Biomedical Science, Medical College of Ohio
Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology at Northwest State College in Archbold OH for over 17 years. Now completing his 9th degree, Dr. Bergman has over 600 publications in 12 languages and 20 books and monographs. He has also taught at the Medical College of Ohio where was a research associate in the department of experimental pathology, and he also taught 6 years at the University of Toledo, and 7 years at Bowling Green State University.
Dr. Bergman has presented over one hundred scientific papers at professional and community meetings in the United States, Canada, and Europe. To discuss his research, he has been a featured speaker on many college campuses throughout the United States and Europe, and is a frequent guest on radio and television programs. His research has made the front page in newspapers throughout the country, has been featured by the Paul Harvey Show several times, and has been discussed by David Brinkley, Chuck Colson, and other nationally known commentators on national television.
His other work experience includes over ten years experience at various Mental Health/Psychology clinics as a licensed professional clinical counselor and three years full time corrections research for a large county circuit court in Michigan and inside the walls of Jackson Prison (SPSM), the largest walled prison in the world. He has also served as a consultant for CBS News, ABC News, Reader’s Digest, Amnesty International, several government agencies and for two Nobel Prize winners, including the inventor of the transistor. In the past decade he has consulted or has testified as an expert witness or consultant in almost one-hundred court cases. A Fellow of the American Scientific Association, member of The National Association for the Advancement of Science, and many other professional associations, he is listed in Who’s Who in America.
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October 24, 2024
AN EXCELLENT SUMMARY OF THE STATUS OF VARIOUS SO-CALLED “VESTIGIAL” ORGANS
George F. Howe served as president of the Creation Research Society from 1977 to 1983. Jerry Bergman has also written/cowritten books such as 'Hitler and the Nazi Darwinian Worldview: How the Nazi Eugenic Crusade for a Superior Race Caused the Greatest Holocaust in World History,' 'The Criterion: Religious Discrimination in America, etc.
They wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, “In this present work we center primarily on the history of science because most of the conclusions herein are now generally accepted by the authorities in the various medical and biological specialties, no matter what philosophy of origins they hold. Our task was to review the literature and to tie together various sectors of vestigial organ research…. We were not able to locate a single book or monograph published in English this century covering all the vestigial organs… It is our hope that this book will fill a void in the current origins literature.” (Pg. xi)
They state, “this argument that vestigial organs refute all design is false because the loss of designed functions in certain organs is easily accommodated in the design model as degeneration, not evolution.” (Pg. 11) They add, “science can deal only with what can be observed; science has nothing to say about the non-existence of functions or the non-existence of anything. Hence the vestigial organ argument is not a scientific discussion. The most one could conclude from science would be that no function has yet been observed for a particular organ. To say that none exist would go far outside the domain of science.” (Pg. 13) Furthermore, “Even if a structure were surgically removed and no discernible effect on the patient could be determined, it still could not be assumed that the organ was functionless. Perhaps other organs assumed its functions and hence its removal caused no major noticeable problems.” (Pg. 15)
They argue, if we assume that one particular birth abnormality (such as humans born with tails) has phylogenetic significance, we must take all birth abnormalities into account. If the appearance of a human caudal appendage suggests that we descended from tail-bearing forebears, perhaps the harelip condition should be taken to mean that we are likewise closely allied to the rabbits. Instead, consistency requires the conclusion that all birth defects are merely abnormalities and that none of them alone can be used to demonstrate phylogenetic ancestry.” (Pg. 17)
They point out, “Some organs, such as the appendix and tonsils, can be removed without any short term discernible effect on the person. Because this is true it does not follow that the supposed vestigial organ lacks a function. Anything that aids convenience, ease, life enjoyment, and effectiveness is functional and fits with the creationist idea that a provident Designer produced the many different kinds of organisms separately from each other.” (Pg. 28) They caution, “From our vantage point, we focus on functions; it is seldom possible for us to know with assurance the full ‘purpose’ for which the Designer produced a given organ.” (Pg. 31)
They note, “It is now generally accepted that the tonsils are part of the adult body’s lymphatic system, the function of which is filtering out and fighting disease organisms…” (Pg. 39) Later, they add, “it is foolish to claim that an organ is vestigial just because it can be removed from a large sample of people with no apparent ill effects. It must be remembered that most biologists refrain from calling an organ vestigial if that organ has some function---even a non-vital function. If it can be shown to play any role, the organ in question does not qualify as ‘vestigial.’” (Pg. 40-41)
They observe, “the appendix is rich in lymphoid tissue and … it probably helps protect the human body against infection, especially during the early years of life. Because the appendix is in fact relatively large and conspicuous during embryological development, it is likely to be very important during this stage of life.” (Pg. 44)
Of male nipples, they state, “The mammae, nipples, and areolae… found in males are primarily a result of embryonic development… Very early in human embryogenesis male and female embryos resemble each other closely. This early common developmental sequence for both males and females can be explained as ‘design economy’… From a design view, there is no need to abolish the general nipple component from males as it might entail major structural changes for which there is no necessity…” (Pg. 59)
They suggest for blind cave fish, “It is possible that the Designer originally produced these blind cave fish for their darkened habitats. The design view finds support in that each of the blind fish also has compensatory systems such as ridges of papillae regularly arranged on the head and body… It is possible that at different times during the history of life the Designer has selected certain fish… and rapidly modified their genetics through non-evolutionary means, equipping them, in this case, for life in newly found cave habitats… There is apparently no other mechanism that can account for the presence of blind creatures in specific cave localities… Furthermore, if the cave blindness syndrome had been part of various genomes as they were originally designed, it is not clear how cave-dwelling blind creatures would have survived the global catastrophe or found their way to present locations after the worldwide flood of Noah…” (Pg. 81-82)
They assert, “Even though the coccyx is an important part of the skeletal structure, serving as an attachment for various muscles, it is similar to the base of the tail in animals that have tails. Those who prefer to believe that the coccyx is the remnant of a tail can continue to do so even though it has important functions in humans.” (Pg. 85)
This book does indeed fill a much-needed niche in creationist literature. It will be of tremendous interest to those studying this issue.
George F. Howe served as president of the Creation Research Society from 1977 to 1983. Jerry Bergman has also written/cowritten books such as 'Hitler and the Nazi Darwinian Worldview: How the Nazi Eugenic Crusade for a Superior Race Caused the Greatest Holocaust in World History,' 'The Criterion: Religious Discrimination in America, etc.
They wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, “In this present work we center primarily on the history of science because most of the conclusions herein are now generally accepted by the authorities in the various medical and biological specialties, no matter what philosophy of origins they hold. Our task was to review the literature and to tie together various sectors of vestigial organ research…. We were not able to locate a single book or monograph published in English this century covering all the vestigial organs… It is our hope that this book will fill a void in the current origins literature.” (Pg. xi)
They state, “this argument that vestigial organs refute all design is false because the loss of designed functions in certain organs is easily accommodated in the design model as degeneration, not evolution.” (Pg. 11) They add, “science can deal only with what can be observed; science has nothing to say about the non-existence of functions or the non-existence of anything. Hence the vestigial organ argument is not a scientific discussion. The most one could conclude from science would be that no function has yet been observed for a particular organ. To say that none exist would go far outside the domain of science.” (Pg. 13) Furthermore, “Even if a structure were surgically removed and no discernible effect on the patient could be determined, it still could not be assumed that the organ was functionless. Perhaps other organs assumed its functions and hence its removal caused no major noticeable problems.” (Pg. 15)
They argue, if we assume that one particular birth abnormality (such as humans born with tails) has phylogenetic significance, we must take all birth abnormalities into account. If the appearance of a human caudal appendage suggests that we descended from tail-bearing forebears, perhaps the harelip condition should be taken to mean that we are likewise closely allied to the rabbits. Instead, consistency requires the conclusion that all birth defects are merely abnormalities and that none of them alone can be used to demonstrate phylogenetic ancestry.” (Pg. 17)
They point out, “Some organs, such as the appendix and tonsils, can be removed without any short term discernible effect on the person. Because this is true it does not follow that the supposed vestigial organ lacks a function. Anything that aids convenience, ease, life enjoyment, and effectiveness is functional and fits with the creationist idea that a provident Designer produced the many different kinds of organisms separately from each other.” (Pg. 28) They caution, “From our vantage point, we focus on functions; it is seldom possible for us to know with assurance the full ‘purpose’ for which the Designer produced a given organ.” (Pg. 31)
They note, “It is now generally accepted that the tonsils are part of the adult body’s lymphatic system, the function of which is filtering out and fighting disease organisms…” (Pg. 39) Later, they add, “it is foolish to claim that an organ is vestigial just because it can be removed from a large sample of people with no apparent ill effects. It must be remembered that most biologists refrain from calling an organ vestigial if that organ has some function---even a non-vital function. If it can be shown to play any role, the organ in question does not qualify as ‘vestigial.’” (Pg. 40-41)
They observe, “the appendix is rich in lymphoid tissue and … it probably helps protect the human body against infection, especially during the early years of life. Because the appendix is in fact relatively large and conspicuous during embryological development, it is likely to be very important during this stage of life.” (Pg. 44)
Of male nipples, they state, “The mammae, nipples, and areolae… found in males are primarily a result of embryonic development… Very early in human embryogenesis male and female embryos resemble each other closely. This early common developmental sequence for both males and females can be explained as ‘design economy’… From a design view, there is no need to abolish the general nipple component from males as it might entail major structural changes for which there is no necessity…” (Pg. 59)
They suggest for blind cave fish, “It is possible that the Designer originally produced these blind cave fish for their darkened habitats. The design view finds support in that each of the blind fish also has compensatory systems such as ridges of papillae regularly arranged on the head and body… It is possible that at different times during the history of life the Designer has selected certain fish… and rapidly modified their genetics through non-evolutionary means, equipping them, in this case, for life in newly found cave habitats… There is apparently no other mechanism that can account for the presence of blind creatures in specific cave localities… Furthermore, if the cave blindness syndrome had been part of various genomes as they were originally designed, it is not clear how cave-dwelling blind creatures would have survived the global catastrophe or found their way to present locations after the worldwide flood of Noah…” (Pg. 81-82)
They assert, “Even though the coccyx is an important part of the skeletal structure, serving as an attachment for various muscles, it is similar to the base of the tail in animals that have tails. Those who prefer to believe that the coccyx is the remnant of a tail can continue to do so even though it has important functions in humans.” (Pg. 85)
This book does indeed fill a much-needed niche in creationist literature. It will be of tremendous interest to those studying this issue.
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