This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Charles Robert Darwin of Britain revolutionized the study of biology with his theory, based on natural selection; his most famous works include On the Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871).
Chiefly Asa Gray of America advocated his theories.
Charles Robert Darwin, an eminent English collector and geologist, proposed and provided scientific evidence of common ancestors for all life over time through the process that he called. The scientific community and the public in his lifetime accepted the facts that occur and then in the 1930s widely came to see the primary explanation of the process that now forms modernity. In modified form, the foundational scientific discovery of Darwin provides a unifying logical explanation for the diversity of life.
Darwin developed his interest in history and medicine at Edinburgh University and then theology at Cambridge. His five-year voyage on the Beagle established him as a geologist, whose observations and supported uniformitarian ideas of Charles Lyell, and publication of his journal made him as a popular author. Darwin collected wildlife and fossils on the voyage, but their geographical distribution puzzled him, who investigated the transmutation and conceived idea in 1838. He discussed his ideas but needed time for extensive research despite priority of geology. He wrote in 1858, when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay, which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication.
His book of 1859 commonly established the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human sexuality in Selection in Relation to Sex, and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals followed. A series of books published his research on plants, and he finally examined effect of earthworms on soil.
A state funeral recognized Darwin in recognition of preeminence and only four other non-royal personages of the United Kingdom of the 19th century; people buried his body in Westminster abbey, close to those of John Herschel and Isaac Newton.
I stumbled across this book using Gutenberg.org’s random function. I can’t imagine that I ever would have picked it up otherwise. I’m slowly working my way through Charles Darwin’s “Origin of Species”, so I thought I’d take a detour into his botanical work. What is most striking is how inoffensive it is. Popular culture tends to give Darwin a personification of a flaming radical, wildly trying to bring down church and state. Even a brief look at his biography will refute this, but it still lingers in the imagination. It’s hard to imagine anything more inoffensive than his meticulous cataloging of number of seeds in different varieties of flowers. It’s easy to forget that these dry tables and diagrams are the bulk of Darwin’s output.
What I enjoy most about reading Darwin is the glimpse into the mind of a masterful analytical scientist. Following his deductions and thought processes is like getting an education in proper science, applicable to all fields. What separates his work from scores of other competent 20th century scientists is the great leap of imagination he was able to take. It’s amazing to think that began as the ad nauseum counting of flower stigmata was able to lead to a theory that changed the world. I think that not many scientists would have been able to take that leap. History is littered with scientists who made ground-breaking discoveries, but were unable to see the full implications of their work and became a footnote in a textbook. Darwin’s genius is that he was able to take that step and drag the world forward into a more enlightened age.
As much as I appreciated this book, at the end of the day it was a lot of boring facts and tables about flowers. Not really a pleasure read.
Random thought: All of these flower names made me think of Harry Potter spells. I think J.K. Rowling may have ruined Latin for me.