Mäklin (1821-1883) was a Finnish zoologist, known for his opposition to the theories of Darwin - in 1864 he had given a lecture on Darwinism before the Finnish Society of Sciences that criticised the theory . The present work, which reproduces the lecture he gave in November 1882 for the appointment of the new Professor of Chemistry Edvard Immanuel Hjelt, considers the Darwinian theory of descent in relation to the geographical distribution of animals.