The "Partial Anticipations" of Natural Selection
Mentioned by Darwin in Origins
These workers are mentioned in "An historical
sketch
of the progress of opinion on the origin of species [previously to the
publication of the first edition of this book]."
This latter part in braces was added in the 6th.
edition in 1872 in response to criticism that he had not been generous
to his
predecessors.
- Aristotle. Physicae Auscultationes. The principle of natual selection was "shadowed forth":
"Wheresoever, therefore, all
things together (that is all the parts of one whole) happened like as
if they were made for the sake of something, these were preserved,
having been appropriately constituted by an internal spontaneity; and
whatsoever things were not thus constituted, perished, and still
perish."
- Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1795). As stated in his Life (written by his son), suspected that species are various degenerations of the same type.
- Jean Baptist Lamarck (1809). Philosophie Zoologique. Indicates that species (including man) are descended from other species.
- W. C. Wells (1813) - 'An Account of a White female, part of
whose skin resembles that of a Negro' which discussed races of humans
adapted (or not) to diseases in Africa. Also, in 1818 'Two Essays upon Dew and Single Vision'. The latter paper recognized the principle of natural selection.
- W. Herbert (1837). Amaryllidaceae. Species when
originally created were more plastic than now and have produced by
intercrossing and by variation all our existing species.
- Robert Grant (1826). Species of Spongilla descending from other species.
- Patrick Matthew (1831). Naval timber and arborculture.
Darwin specifically mentions that he preceeded him in recognizing
natural selection.
- Von Buch (1836). Description Physique des Isles Canaries. Varieties slowly become changed into species.
- Rafinesque (1836). New Flora of North America. "All
species might have been varieties once, and many varieties are
gradually becomming species by assuming constant and peculiar
characters."
- Haldeman (1843-44). Boston J. Nat. History.
"Leans toward the side of change" with respect to development and
modification of species.
- Robert Chambers (1844). Vestiges
of the
Natural History of Creation.
Tenth (of 14) edition 1853. Organization progresses by sudden leaps,
but that the effects produced by the conditions of life are gradual.
Species are not immutable productions.
- M. J. d'Omalius d'Halloy (1846). Species by descent with modification, not separate creation.
- Owen (1849). Nature of Limbs. In an 1858 address to the British Association he says
"These
phenomena shake our confidence in the conclusion that the Apteryx of
New Zealand and the Red Grouse of England were distinct creations in
and for those islands respectively."
- Freke (1851). All organic beings have descended from one primordial form.
- Herbert Spencer (1852).
Contrasts theories of Creation with development of organic beings using
analogy from domestic productions, embryology, species/variety
differences, etc.
- M. Naudin (1852). Species form in an analogous manner as varieties under cultivation.
- Count Keyerling (1853). Germs of existing species were chemically affected thus giving rise to new forms.
- Schaafenhausen (1853). Many species have kept true for long periods whereas a few have become modified.
"Thus
living plants and animals are not separated from the extinct by new
creations, but are to be regarded as their descendants through
continued reproduction."
"On voit que nos recherches sur la
fixité ou la variation de l'especie, nous conduisent directement
aux idées émises, par deux hommes justement
célèbres, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire et Goethe."
"One sees that our research on the fixity or the variation of
the species leads us directly to the ideas put forward
precisely by two famous men, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Goethe."
- Rev. Baden Powell (1855). Essays on the Unity of Worlds. The introduction of new species is "a regular, not a casual phenomenon" (i.e. natural, not miraculous process).
- Karl Ernst Von Baer (1859).
Grounded on the laws of geographical distribution, forms now
perfectly distinct have descended from a single parental form.
- Thomas Henry Huxley (1859).
"If, on the other hand, we view
'Persistent Types' in relation to that hypothesis which supposes the
species living at any time to be the result of the gradual modifiation
of pre-existing species a hypothesis which, though unproven, and sadly
damaged by some of its supporters, is yet the only one to which
physiology lends any countenance; their existence would seem to show
that the amount of modification which living beings have undergone
during geological time is but very small in relation to the whole
series of changes which they have suffered."
- Joseph Dalton Hooker (1859). Introduction to the Australian Flora. Supports descent and modification of species by many original observations.
SIUC / College of Science
/ Plant Biology / PLB 479 / Lectures PLB479/ Pre-Darwin Natural Selection
Last updated: 24-Aug-07 / dln