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Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 19 hits

… The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The …
… in relation to Sex’. Always precise in his accounting, Darwin reckoned that he had started writing …
… gathered on each of these topics was far more extensive than Darwin had anticipated. As a result, …
… and St George Jackson Mivart, and heated debates sparked by Darwin’s proposed election to the French …
… machine’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 December [1870 ] ). Finishing Descent; …
… some weeks’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 13 January [1870 ] ). Darwin was still working hard on …
… style, the more grateful I shall be’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] ). She had …
… , the latter when she was just eighteen years of age. Darwin clearly expected her to make a …
… have thought that I shd. turn parson?’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] ). Henrietta …
… so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [after 8 February 1870 ] ). …
… philanthropist Frances Power Cobbe. At Cobbe’s suggestion, Darwin read some of Immanuel Kant’s …
… sense of mankind’ ( letter to F. P. Cobbe, 23 March [1870 ?] ). Cobbe accused Darwin of smiling in …
… great philosophy?’ ( letter from F. P. Cobbe, 28 March [1870 ?] ). Humans as animals: ears …
… [1868] ; this volume, letter to Thomas Woolner, 10 March [1870 ] ). Darwin included Woolner’s …
… findings ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 15 March 1870 ). Indeed, Darwin noted the same …
… bane of existence!’ ( letter to William Ogle, 9 November 1870 ). Researching expression: …
… spirits were white ( letter from W. W. Reade, 9 November 1870 ). Keen for more evidence of …
… who sent a sketch of a baby’s brows ( letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [5 May 1870 ] ). He also wrote to …
… (in retrograde direction) naturalist’ (letter to A. R.Wallace, 26 January [1870 ]). …

Darwin’s queries on expression

Summary

When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…

Matches: 25 hits

… When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect …
… ease of distribution sometime in late 1867 or early 1868. Darwin went over his questions, refining …
… was the collection of observations on a global scale. Darwin was especially interested in peoples …
… cultural and conventional, or instinctive and universal. Darwin used his existing correspondence …
… and with the mouth a little drawn back at the corners?” Darwin’s questionnaire was an extension of …
… was also carefully devised so as to prevent the feelings of Darwin’s remote observers from colouring …
… and not the susceptibilities of a moral nature.” Darwin did not typically countenance such …
… the collection of information to its display in print. After Darwin received all of the replies to …
… except “yes” or “no.” “The same state of mind” Darwin would later assert in Expression of the …
… uniformity.” Table of Correspondence about Darwin’s Questionnaire (click on the letter …
… could available online ahead of schedule as part of the “Darwin and Human Nature” project, funded by …
… nodding vertically Blair, R.H. 11 July …
… Fuegians Brooke, C.A.J. 30 Nov 1870 …
… Crichton-Browne, James 15 March 1870 West Riding …
… Crichton-Browne, James 18 March 1870 Down, Kent, …
… Donders, F.C. 27 May 1870 Utrecht, Netherlands …
… Forbes, David 13 June 1870 Portman Square, London W. …
… Nicol, Patrick 13 May 1870 Sussex Lunatic Asylum, …
… Reade, Winwood W. [c.8 or 9 Apr 1870 ] Accra, West …
… Reade, Winwood W. 4 June 1870 Lagos, Africa …
… Reade, Winwood W. 3 Sept 1870 Conservative Club, St …
… Reade, Winwood W. 9 Nov 1870 11 St Mary Abbot's …
… in Hottentots Smyth, R. Brough 13 Aug 1868 …
… Weale, J.P.M. [25 May 1870 ] Bedford, Cape of Good …
… Weir, J.J. 27 June 1870 Blackheath, London, England …

Women as a scientific audience

Summary

Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…

Matches: 8 hits

… Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
… a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
… women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
… that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
… and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
… typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] …
… and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] …
… Letter 7177 - Cupples, G. to Darwin, [29 April 1870] George Cupples tells Darwin about a …

Women’s scientific participation

Summary

Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…

Matches: 21 hits

… | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
… community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
… Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
… peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
… in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] …
… Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [8 June 1867 - 72] Darwin …
… Henrietta. Letter 7179 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [5 May 1870 ] …
… the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… in Llandudno. Letter 4823 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, H. E., [May 1865] …
… Letter 8144 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [5 January 1872] Darwin asks his niece, …
… Lychnis diurna. Letter 8168 - Ruck, A. R . to Darwin, H., [20 January 1872] …
… lawn. Letter 8224 - Darwin to Ruck, A. R., [24 February 1872] Darwin …
… Letter 9606 - Harrison, L. C. to Darwin, [22 August 1874] Darwin’s niece, Lucy, …
… Letter 1701 - Morris, M. H. to Prior, R. C. A., [17 June 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris …
… garden ”. Letter 6083 - Casparay, J. X. R. to Darwin, [2 April 1868] …
… the future. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] Darwin …
… Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870 ] Darwin seeks Henrietta’s …
… Letter 7123 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [March 1870 ] Darwin thanks his daughter, …
… . Several reviewers speak of the “lucid, vigorous style, &c.” for which he owes her a great debt …
… Letter 7858 - Darwin to Wa llace, A. R., [12 July 1871] Darwin tells Wallace that …

Dramatisation script

Summary

Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007

Matches: 25 hits

… Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig …
… as the creator of this dramatisation, and that of the Darwin Correspondence Project to be identified …
… correspondence or published writings of Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Jane Loring …
… Actor 1 – Asa Gray Actor 2 – Charles Darwin Actor 3 – In the dress of a modern day …
… Agassiz, Adam Sedgwick, A Friend of John Stuart Mill, Emma Darwin, Horace Darwin… and acts as a sort …
… the play unfolds and acting as a go-between between Gray and Darwin, and between the audience and …
… this, he sends out copies of his Review of the Life of Darwin. At this time in his life, Asa …
… friends in England, copies of his ‘Review of the Life of Darwin’… pencilling the address so that it …
… Joseph D Hooker GRAY: 3 Charles Darwin… made his home on the border of the little …
… are kept in check by a constitutional weakness. DARWIN: A plain but comfortable brick …
… by every blessing except that of vigorous health… DARWIN: 4 My confounded stomach …
… pursuits and the simplicity of his character. DARWIN: 5 I am allowed to work now …
… own house, where he was the most charming of hosts. DARWIN: 6 My life goes on …
… being a part of [an unpublished] manuscript. Darwin settles down to write. His tone is …
… THE CONCURRENCE OF BOTANISTS: 1855 In which Darwin initiates a long-running correspondence …
… gossip about difficult colleagues (Agassiz). Gray realizes Darwin is not revealing all of his …
… man, more formally attired and lighter on his feet than Darwin. He has many more demands on his time …
… catches his attention. He opens the letter. DARWIN: 8 April 25 th 1855. My …
… filled up the paper you sent me as well as I could. DARWIN: 10 My dear Dr Gray. I …
… is condensed in that little sheet of note-paper! DARWIN: 11 My dear Hooker… What …
… surprising good. GRAY: 12 My dear Mr Darwin, I rejoice in furnishing facts to …
… paragraph, in which I quote and differ from you[r] 178 doctrine that each variation has been …
… ARTS AND SCIENCES, PROCEEDINGS XVII, 1882 4 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 10 MAY 1848 …
… A GRAY 25 MAY 1868 182 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 1870 183 C DARWIN, …
… NOV 1865 196 FROM A GRAY 27 FEBRUARY & 1 MARCH 1870 197 A GRAY TO JD …

Cross and self fertilisation

Summary

The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…

Matches: 27 hits

… the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells …
… on plants with two or three different forms of flowers, Darwin had focused on the anatomical and …
… of different forms of pollen. Although many plants that Darwin observed had flowers with adaptations …
… rates, growth, and constitutional vigour. Although Darwin was no stranger to long months and years …
… … is highly remarkable’ In September 1866, Darwin announced to the American botanist …
… several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a series of experiments, …
… ). It was only after a new season of experiments that Darwin would confirm that this poppy shed its …
… access to flowers was only the tip of the iceberg. Darwin next focused on the California …
… conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s interest was piqued and he described …
… when self-fertilised, although fewer than crossed plants. Darwin sent some of these seeds to Müller, …
… [1868] ). Müller, in turn, sent seeds from his plants to Darwin and both men continued to …
… Müller remarked, on receiving a new batch of seeds from Darwin, ‘that it was ‘curious to see, on …
… depends’ ( From Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). By May 1870 , Darwin reported that he was ‘rearing …
… of English fertile plants’ ( To Fritz Müller, 12 May 1870 ). From a fairly early stage in …
… seeds of Ipomœa. I remember saying the contrary to you & M r Smith at Kew. But the result is …
… the sweet pea ( Lathyrus odoratus ), and in October 1867, Darwin wrote to James Moggridge to ask …
… of the year ( To J. T. Moggridge, 1 October [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the …
… simply did not exist in Britain. During a visit to Darwin in May 1866, Robert Caspary, a …
… by the former ( From Robert Caspary, 18 February 1868 ). Darwin eagerly requested seed from both …
… was published on 30 January 1868. In April 1868, Darwin informed George Bentham, ‘I am …
… to elongate when the pollen touches the stigmatic surface. Darwin was able to discern that …
… plant sexual relations, Müller, who sent the publication to Darwin, reported that he was surprised …
… the fertility of the offspring (F. Müller 1868b, p. 629). Darwin urged further experimentation. ‘I …
… the Abutilon sterile with some individuals is remarkable’, Darwin replied, adding that he had sown …
… I am already plagued by foreign Translators, Reviewers, &c.’ ( To John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). …
… the set of all my works, I would suggest 1,500’ ( To R. F. Cooke, 16 September 1876 ). In the …
… of hybrids, has not yet been produced’ ( From A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions

Summary

Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...

Matches: 1 hits

… Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive …

Science: A Man’s World?

Summary

Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…

Matches: 14 hits

… Discussion Questions | Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth …
… Letters Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, …
… of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., [20 January 1839] …
… theories, & accumulating facts in silence & solitude”. Darwin also comments that he has …
… sitting by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to Darwin, [6 September 1862] …
… are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] …
… critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [2 January 1864] Haeckel …
… works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 March 1864] Lydia Becker …
… to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., [20 November 1865] …
… masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., [8 November 1869] …
… , (1829). Letter 7329 - Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870 ] Written …
… them ears”. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, [7 November 1871] Sarah …
… natural thinking”. Letter 8079 - Norton, S. R. to Darwin, [20 November 1871] …
… patience. Letter 13607 – Darwin to Kennard, C. A., [9 January 1882] Darwin …

Darwin on race and gender

Summary

Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…

Matches: 20 hits

… Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with …
… in beetles. The unity of human species Darwin believed that the same process of sexual …
… gradually increase those features over long periods of time. Darwin’s theory was based partly on the …
… seemed to prevail across the globe. In Descent , Darwin also addressed widely held beliefs …
… of ‘species’, ‘varieties’, and ‘races’. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity of the human species, …
… Gender and civilisation In his early notebooks, Darwin remarked that survival value or …
… , B74). In his later writings on plants and animals, Darwin remained consistent on this point, and …
… improvement, or design. However, when it came to humans, Darwin reintroduced the structure of …
… and present, on the basis of their ‘civilization’. Here Darwin drew on contemporary anthropology, …
… colonial conquests and expansion abroad. Thus, while Darwin’s views on race differed widely …
… in the success of nations’ ( Descent 1: 239). For Darwin, the civilising process was essentially …
… taken from their homeland in Tierra del Fuego to England, Darwin wrote: ‘in contradiction of what …
… were often crossed in practice ( see correspondence with C. Kennard, below ). The implications of …
… Letter to J. S. Henslow, 11 April 1833 Letter to C. R. Lyell, 11 October [1859] …
… 1867] Further reading: Crais, Clifton C. 1992. White supremacy and black …
… Press. Desmond, Adrian and James Moore. 2009. Darwin's sacred cause . London: Allen …
… of Science 6: 9–23 [in a special issue on ‘Descent of Darwin: race, sex, and human nature’]. …
… . New York: The Free Press. Voss, Julia. 2007, Darwin’s pictures: views of evolutionary …
… women Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870 ] Letter …
… 28 January 1882 Further Reading: Darwin, Descent of man (1871), 2: 326–9. …

Moral Nature

Summary

In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…

Matches: 13 hits

… | Selected Readings In Descent of Man , Darwin argued that human morality had …
… (Barrett et al. eds. 1987, p. 619) Darwin gathered observations over many decades on …
… Though rooted in instinctive sympathy, moral behavior for Darwin was not purely automatic or …
… the social instincts that humans shared with animals. Darwin's moral theory was the most …
… obligation, compassion, guilt, and the pangs of conscience. Darwin's theory was condemned by …
… female members of their hive in order to protect the queen. Darwin engaged with his critics in …
… of ideas, rather than as evolving from animal instinct. Darwin got clarification on this point from …
… Descent of Man in the Pall Mall Gazette (Morley 1871). Darwin admired the review, and …
… from generation to generation." Letter 7685 : Darwin to Morley, John, 14 April …
… at a time when Paris is aflame". Letter 7145 : Darwin to Cobbe, F. P. 23 March …
… that he read Immanuel Kant's Metaphysics of ethics . Darwin thanked her for the book, which …
… Letter 7149 : Cobbe, F. P. to Darwin, 28 March [1870?] "I more than suspect you of a …
… 2007. Darwin (London: Routledge), ch. 6 Richards, R. J. 1987. Darwin the development of …

Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small

Summary

In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…

Matches: 26 hits

… In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
… for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
… of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
… Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
… to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
… working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
… contents, if immersed for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root …
… London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
… letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running interest in such …
… experiments had been conducted to lend support to Darwin’s theory of pangenesis (see …
… He was eager to write up the results on Brazilian cane, with Darwin providing a detailed outline: ‘I …
… at the Linnean Society on 4 May, but not published. Darwin carried on with botanical work in …
… which are asymmetric, thus facilitating cross-fertilisation. Darwin’s aim, he said, was just to …
… 3 April 1882 ). Earthworms and evolution Darwin’s last book, Earthworms , had been …
… Appendix V). The conservative Quarterly Review , owned by Darwin’s publisher John Murray, carried …
… themselves’ ( Quarterly Review , January 1882, p. 179). Darwin commented at length on the review …
… is a young man & a worker in any branch of Biology,’ Darwin continued, ‘he will assuredly sooner …
… and professor of ecclesiastical history Henry Wace. Darwin was confident that the theory of …
… our homes, would in this case greatly suffer’ ( letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). Kennard …
… judged, intellectually his inferior, please ( letter from C. A. Kennard, 28 January 1882 ). …
… dull aching in the chest’ (Emma Darwin to G. H. Darwin, [ c . 28 March 1882] (DAR 210.3: 45)). …
… to some Estancia,’ wrote Hughes, ‘as the scenery &c. will amply repay your trouble’ ( letter …
… where he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
… will be months before I am able to work’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, [ c . 10 April 1864] ). To …
… contents of bats?’ ( letter to Hermann Müller, 14 March 1870 ). One of Darwin’s other great …
… much of him’ ( letter to George Cupples, 20 September [1870 ] ). Despite Darwin’s insistence …

Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts

Summary

At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…

Matches: 27 hits

… At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of …
… appeared at the end of 1866 and had told his cousin William Darwin Fox, ‘My work will have to stop a …
… material on emotional expression. Yet the scope of Darwin’s interests remained extremely broad, and …
… plants, and earthworms, subjects that had exercised Darwin for decades, and that would continue to …
… Carl von Nägeli and perfectibility Darwin’s most substantial addition to Origin was a …
… a Swiss botanist and professor at Munich (Nägeli 1865). Darwin had considered Nägeli’s paper …
… principal engine of change in the development of species. Darwin correctly assessed Nägeli’s theory …
… in most morphological features (Nägeli 1865, p. 29). Darwin sent a manuscript of his response (now …
… are & must be morphological’. The comment highlights Darwin’s apparent confusion about Nägeli’s …
… ‘purely morphological’. The modern reader may well share Darwin’s uncertainty, but Nägeli evidently …
… pp. 28–9). In further letters, Hooker tried to provide Darwin with botanical examples he could use …
… problems of heredity Another important criticism that Darwin sought to address in the fifth …
… prevailing theory of blending inheritance that Jenkin and Darwin both shared, would tend to be lost …
… ( Origin 5th ed., pp. 103–4). The terminology that Darwin and others employed in these matters ( …
… now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869] , and …
… of information which I have sent prove of any service to M r . Darwin I can supply him with much …
… & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). More …
… and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869] ), and …
… an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
… species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February 1869 ). In a …
… genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March 1869 ). This …
… the basis for a new German edition (Bronn and Carus trans. 1870 ), prepared by Julius Victor Carus, …
… own evolutionary views and critical commentary (Royer trans. 1870 ). Darwin complained to Hooker, …
… Sweetland Dallas’s edition of Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin (Dallas trans. 1869). The book, an …
… creation, if he is not completely staggered after reading y r essay’. The work received a …
… whole meeting was decidedly Huxley’s answer to D r M c Cann. He literally poured boiling oil …
… work some hours daily’ ( letter to Anton Dohrn, 4 January 1870 ). Darwin’s health was generally …

Scientific Networks

Summary

Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…

Matches: 13 hits

… activities for building and maintaining such connections. Darwin's networks extended from his …
… when strong institutional structures were largely absent. Darwin had a small circle of scientific …
… section contains two sets of letters. The first is between Darwin and his friend Kew botanist J. D. …
… about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., [11 Jan 1844] …
… confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 23 Feb [1844] …
… Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 25 Apr [1855] Darwin …
… species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. R., 22 May 1855 Gray recalled …
… flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, 20 July [1857] Darwin …
… information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 6 Oct [1848] …
… name. Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., 3 Feb 1849 In this gossipy …
… species descriptions. Letter 1260 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., 12 Oct 1849 …
… Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., 6 & 7 Apr 1850 Hooker apologises for the …
… 7124 — Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870 ] Darwin writes to his daughter …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 22 hits

… The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now …
… and also a meeting with Herbert Spencer, who was visiting Darwin’s neighbour, Sir John Lubbock. In …
… all but the concluding chapter of the work was submitted by Darwin to his publisher in December. …
… hypothesis of hereditary transmission. Debate about Darwin’s theory of transmutation …
… alleged evidence of a global ice age, while Asa Gray pressed Darwin’s American publisher for a …
… for the Advancement of Science. Fuller consideration of Darwin’s work was given by Hooker in an …
… frustrations were punctuated by family bereavement. Two of Darwin’s sisters died, Emily Catherine …
… from painful illness. Diet and exercise Among Darwin’s first letters in the new year …
… every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had first consulted Jones in July …
… ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). Darwin began riding the cob, Tommy, on 4 …
… day which I enjoy much.’ The new exercise regime led to Darwin’s being teased by his neighbour, John …
… John Lubbock, 4 August 1866 ). More predictably, however, Darwin immediately converted his renewed …
… you go on, after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights …
… so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). Henrietta’s …
… teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). Also in …
… and a revised American edition was not published until 1870 . Further botanical research: …
… common broom ( Cytisus scoparius ) and the white broom ( C. multiflorus ) in his botanical …
… and June on the subject of Rhamnus catharticus (now R. cathartica ). Darwin had become …
… of separate sexes. William gathered numerous specimens of R. catharticus , the only species of …
… replied with a modified list, adding Fritz Müller’s Fü r Darwin , and a recent fossil discovery in …
… selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker later …
… indeed at poor Susan’s loneliness’ ( letter from E. C. Langton to Emma and Charles Darwin, [6 and 7 …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 27 hits

… The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his …
… book out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year was devoted …
… way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from …
… offered sharp criticism or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be …
… a bare-faced manner.”‘ The most lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the …
… taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped Darwin to clarify, and in some cases …
… year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin continued to investigate the …
… also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest daughter Henrietta was …
… during several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working fairly continuously …
… work on species theory in the late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material …
… to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing kinship with animals …
… he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his son Francis on 28 February …
… letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After …
… man.’ Promoting the book As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable …
… (see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his …
… received a special acknowledgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had …
… ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
… 1871). The geologist William Boyd Dawkins remarked on Darwin’s books’ reception amongst ‘artisans …
… 23 February 1871 ). Thomas Henry Huxley marvelled that Darwin had been able to link the periodicity …
… and the heavy use of their arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 ). Samples …
… is a thing which I sh d feel very proud of, if anyone c d . say of me.’ After the publication …
… was achieved through ‘the medium of opinion, positive law &c’, and transmitted by culture, not …
… in the world except. laughing. crying grinning pouting &c. &c’, he wrote to Hooker on 21 …
… so giddy I can hardly sit up, so no more’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 4 August [1871] ). On 23 …
… activity would have on the elevation of land. In October 1870 , two separate square yards of ground …
… annually on an acre of land at 16 tons (letter from L. C. Wedgwood, [20 November 1871] ). He also …
… ( letter to Asa Gray, 16 July [1871] , letter to S. R. S. Norton, 23 November [1871] ). …

Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?

Summary

'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…

Matches: 28 hits

… ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . . What little …
… of On the origin of species , intended to be Darwin’s last, and of Expression of the …
… books brought a strong if deceptive sense of a job now done: Darwin intended, he declared to Alfred …
… on 'so difficult a subject, as evolution’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 27 July [1872] ). …
… of books and papers, and the latter formed the subject of Darwin’s last book, The formation of …
… worms , published in the year before his death. Despite Darwin’s declared intention to take up new …
… begun many years before. In his private life also, Darwin was in a nostalgic frame of mind, …
… The last word on Origin The year opened with Darwin, helped by his eldest son William, …
… on 30 January , shortly after correcting the proofs, and Darwin’s concern for the consolidation of …
… and sixth editions were costly to incorporate, and despite Darwin’s best efforts, set the final …
… by the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war in July 1870 , and was now halted so that the further …
… remained unpublished at the end of the year ( letter from C.-F. Reinwald, 23 November 1872 ). …
… to bring out the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it …
… had to be reset. The investment in stereotype reinforced Darwin’s intention to make no further …
… A worsening breach The criticisms against which Darwin had taken the greatest trouble to …
… objections to the theory of natural selection’, Darwin refuted point by point assertions published …
… Whale & duck most beautiful’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 3 March 1872 ). I …
… Although Mivart was among those who wrote in January to wish Darwin a happy new year, before the …
… `chiefly perhaps because I do it badly’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 3 August [1872] ). …
… from his ignorance, he feels no doubts’ ( letter to F. C. Donders, 17 June 1872 ). Right up to the …
… Charlton Bastian’s recent book on the origin of life (H. C. Bastian 1872; Wallace 1872d) left him …
… & new views which are daily turning up’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 August [1872] ). …
… Lord Sackville Cecil, to attend a séance ( letter from M. C. Stanley, 4 June 1872 ). There was …
… you agreed to let them have it for love!!!’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 1 August 1872 ). It …
… & have not taken care of ourselves’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 20 November 1872 ). A …
… gift, although he doubted he would ever use it ( letter to C. L. Dodgson, 10 December 1872 ). …
… try `with straight blunt knitting needle’ ( letter to L. C. Wedgwood, 5 January [1872] ) to …
… to which any scientific man can look’ ( letter to F. C. Donders, 29 April [1872] ). …

Henrietta Darwin's diary

Summary

Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…

Matches: 11 hits

… Charles Darwin’s daughter Henrietta wrote the following journal entries in March and …
… 1871 in a small lockable, leather-bound notebook now in the Darwin Archive of Cambridge University …
… excised within it, presumably by Henrietta herself. Darwin’s letters in 1870 and 1871 ( …
… scepticism; many of her arguments are reminiscent of Darwin’s own discussion of religious belief in …
… of the theory of natural selection. Snow occasionally sent Darwin information relating to his …
… of emotion (see letters from F. J. Wedgwood to H. E. and C. R. Darwin, [1867–72], letter nos. …
… one of Descent (see letter from Charles and Emma Darwin to F. J. Wedgwood, [March 1871?], and …
… period of their courtship. We are grateful to William Darwin for permission to publish the …
… amongst whom of course was Lena had any knowledge of it. M r . W. spoke or preached as u like to …
… Father who w d be waiting for her—when down came M r . W. on his knees between them & said, …
… worship of humanity—this I hope is only in its bud— I c d conceive a life wh. was filled & …

Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?

Summary

Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…

Matches: 27 hits

… evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost …
… (1875) and Cross and self fertilisation (1876). Darwin’s son Francis became increasingly …
… career to become his father’s scientific secretary. Darwin had always relied on assistance from …
… Francis’s decision. A large portion of the letters Darwin received in 1873 were in response …
… the previous year. As was typical, readers wrote to Darwin personally to offer suggestions, …
… some of which were incorporated in a later edition. Darwin also contributed to discussions in the …
… Francis Galton’s work on inherited talent, which prompted Darwin to reflect on the traits and …
… Station at Naples. Plants that eat and feel? Darwin had resumed experiments on the …
… 12 January [1873] ). Drosera was the main focus of Darwin’s study of insectivorous plants, a …
… and alkaloids, and even electrical stimulation. On sending Darwin a specimen of the carnivorous …
… ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ). Darwin found that the glandular hairs on the …
… to bend inward, so that the plant closed like a fist. Darwin was fascinated by this transmission of …
… plants , p. 63). The plants secreted a viscid fluid, which Darwin suspected attracted insects by …
… ., p. 17). Through a series of painstaking experiments, Darwin determined that the secretions …
… botanist Mary Treat, who performed experiments suggested by Darwin on the North American species …
… . He began to perform experiments modelled on those of Darwin, feeding the plant egg and raw meat, …
… guide to animal experimentation that Klein had co-authored. Darwin contacted two of the Handbook …
… London, and director of the Brown Institution. Darwin sent an abstract of his preliminary …
… muscle and nerve tissue of animals. Burdon Sanderson visited Darwin at Down in July and was drawn …
… To test whether the plants had a nerve-like structure, Darwin suggested electrical experiments on …
… coil. He was so impressed by the results that he sent Darwin the news by telegraph in September, and …
… the Advancement of Science later that month. Finally, Darwin enlisted the chemist Edward …
… enzyme. Cross- and self-fertilisation Darwin’s other main focus of botanical …
… without instruction or previously acquired knowledge” (A. R. Wallace 1870 , p. 204). Moggridge …
… believes whether or not they are sound” ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 17 November 1873 ). But no …
… unorthodoxy, troubling and potentially undermining (J. R. Moore 1985, pp. 471–2). A courted …
… a personification of Natural Filosofy” ( letter from J. C. Costerus and N. D. Doedes, 18 March 1873 …

Darwin’s study of the Cirripedia

Summary

Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed problems for historians. Coming between his transmutation notebooks and the Origin of species, it has frequently been interpreted as a digression from Darwin’s species work. Yet…

Matches: 25 hits

… Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed …
… , it has frequently been interpreted as a digression from Darwin’s species work. Yet when this study …
… anomalous. Moreover, as the letters in this volume suggest, Darwin’s study of cirripedes, far from …
… classification using the most recent methods available, Darwin was able to provide a thorough …
… his views on the species question (Crisp 1983). Darwin’s interest in invertebrate zoology …
… Robert Edmond Grant. In his Autobiography (pp. 49–50), Darwin recalled: ‘Drs. Grant and …
… numerous references to the ova of various invertebrates, and Darwin’s first scientific paper, …
… marine organisms was exercised during the Beagle voyage. Darwin expressed his current enthusiasm …
… earlier researches in Edinburgh on the ova of invertebrates, Darwin was particularly well prepared …
… In 1835, in the Chonos Archipelago off the coast of Chile, Darwin found ‘most curious’ minute …
… In the zoological notes made during the Beagle voyage, Darwin recorded: ‘The thick shell of some …
… the absence of a shell and its unusual parasitic nature, Darwin recognised that it differed greatly …
… Such a revaluation had not been undertaken when, in 1846, Darwin began to examine several …
… of as many genera as I could procure.’ For fourteen months Darwin pursued an anatomical study of …
… British Museum and himself a cirripede expert, suggested to Darwin that he prepare a monograph of …
… and advised him on procuring other collections. At the time Darwin committed himself to this study, …
… his attention for the next seven years. To appreciate why Darwin would have undertaken such a study, …
… such questions as yours,—whether number of species &c &c should enter as an element in …
… from common stocks— In this view all relations of analogy &c &c &, consist of those …
… metamorphoses, as we shall see presently in Hippoboscus &c states that in Crust, antennæ & …
… 1852) or elevating it to a separate class altogether (R. Owen 1855). Milne-Edwards and Owen also …
… as a distinct class between the Crustacea and the Annelida (R. Owen 1855).^7^ Darwin, however, with …
… spirits Every cirriped that I dissect I preserve the jaws &c. &c. in this manner, which …
… CD’s specimen has remained unique. (The editors thank Drs R. W. Ingle and G. Boxshall of the British …
… he gave to the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge in 1870 . Although some of the slides have …

	CCD intro	(6)
	co-adaptation	(1)
	controversy	(1)
	Descent	(4)
	Featured	(1)
	human evolution	(2)
	Mivart	(2)
	Human nature	(2)
	drama	(1)
	Life sciences	(2)
	Survival of the fittest	(2)
	emotion	(1)
	heredity	(1)
	ice ages	(1)
	Nägeli	(1)
	natural selection	(1)
	Origin	(2)
	distribution	(1)
	Germany	(1)
	glacier	(1)
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	disagreement	(1)
	expression	(1)
	morality	(1)
	Pangenesis	(1)
	reaction	(1)
	worms	(1)
	Historical documents	(1)
	Natural selections: a longer read	(2)
	book sales	(1)
	celebrity	(1)
	cross-fertilisation	(1)
	electrocution	(1)
	genius	(1)
	insectivorous plants	(1)
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