Erasmus Darwin / Physician (18. Jh.)

» Economics » Physician (18. Jh.) » Topics begins with E » Erasmus Darwin

Page modified: Saturday, June 24, 2006 00:22:49

Erasmus Darwin (* 12 December 1731 in Nottinghamshire; " 18 April 1802 in Derby) was a British poet, scientist and a physician, that to the prominent intellectual ones 18. Century counted. Among its grandchildren one finds the founder of the modern evolution theory, and Francis Galton, which is considered as a father of the behavior genetics beside other Charles Darwin.

Birth, training and working life

Erasmus Darwin born on 12 December 1731 in close proximity to Elston resound in the British county Nottinghamshire. After it had visited first the Chesterfield School, it went 1750 to 1754 on the pc. John's college into Cambridge, where it locked with the Bachelor OF kind. 1756 it terminated its medicine study in Edinburgh, whereupon it opened a practice in Nottingham, which was again closed after two months already with small success. In the year after it moved to Lichfield with Birmingham, where it practiced to more as 20 years long than physician and became one of the most famous medical profession of England. To that time it even the British king George III. asked to become its body physician. It rejected this unjustified demand however thanking.

With that lunar Society, existing from 1765 to 1813, created Darwin a forum of the scientific exchange for the prominent heads of its time. Members that lunar Society were among other things James Watt, Matthew Boulton and Benjamin Franklin (corresponding member).

1781 moved to Darwin to Derby (county Derbyshire), where he deceased on 18 April 1802.

Wives and descendants

In first marriage Erasmus Darwin 1757 married the seventeen-year old Mary Howard (1740 - 1770). This connection brought one daughter and four sons out. One of these sons, Robert Waring Darwin, was likewise a well-known physician and became later the father of Charles Darwin, a which late biography should write over its grandfather.

After the death of its first wife Erasmus Darwin at the age of 50 years married younger widow Elizabeth collier of thing aluminum poles after its removal after Derby the attractive, 16 years (1747-1832). With their had it sieve further children, under it Frances Anne Violetta, the nut/mother of Francis Galton. The connection caused at that time large surprise, because Erasmus Darwin and the deceased married man, Colonel of thing aluminum poles, had been disliked. In addition it outdid many looking better rivals. Darwin were missing since its youth some front teeth, it were smallpox-scarred and owing to its gesegneten appetite strongly over weighty. 1776 it let a semi-circle out-saw from its esstisch, so that it could take place with its belly at all still.

In addition Darwin had a except-conjugal affair with Mary Parker from the two daughters came out, who were educated together with the other children.

Work

Natural sciences

Erasmus Darwin formulated numerous ideas for the masterhistorical development of the organisms in its work "Zoonomia, or, The Laws OF Organic Life" (1794-1796). These came it both by observing the behavior of domestic animals and by its extensive knowledge in the area of the natural sciences. Came it under other thoughts, which also its grandchild Charles Darwin took up later again. So for example the idea that all alive one descends from a common ancestor and must thus a family tree of all ways of life to be designed be able.

The discovery of fossils of become extinct animal species let it come to the conclusion, which lives on earth had itself from microscopically small shells developed. With the question as from a kind another kind comes out was partially very similar its ideas those from Lamarck, however it made itself also over the effect of "sexual selection" and for competition on the formation of kinds thoughts.

Recently into since 1998 accessible secret archives Vatikan was discovered that the "Zoonomia" Erasmus Darwin's stands on the index librorum prohibitorum, not however the work "The Origin OF Species" of its grandchild Charles Darwin. It is discussed that this could be because of the fact that since the case Galilei only scientific works came on the index, if a direct connection with the Bible could be manufactured.

Poetry

Erasmus Darwin was at its time likewise an outstanding poet. It seized its ideas over nature also into verses. The following is an excerpt from its work "The Botanic guards, A Poem in Two parts: Part 1, The Economy OF vegetation" of 1791:

Roll on, ye of star! exult in youthful prime, Mark with bright curves the printless steps OF Time; Near and more near your beamy cars approach, and lessening orbs on lessening orbs encroach; - Flowers OF the sky! ye too tons age must yield, Frail as your silken sisters OF the field! Star after star from Heaven's high arch shall rush, Suns sink on suns, and of system of system crush, Headlong, extinct, ton one dark centers case, and Death and Night and chaos mingle all! - Till more o'er the wreck, emerging from the storm, Immortal Nature of elevator ago changeful form, Mounts from ago funeral pyre on wings OF Fleming, and soars and of shines, another and the same.

Inventions

Apart from its activity as physician, poets and scientists Erasmus Darwin worked also as an inventor of different For example it invented a horizontal windmill for Josiah Wedgwood, the other grandfather Charles Darwins. 1768 it was ejected with a test run from a Kutsche invented by him and hurt its knee so heavily that it continual limbed thereafter. The potenziellen inventions it made itself during the travels from a house attendance to next notes (among other things over water closets and rocket propulsions). However it did not announce of its inventions to the patent, since it believed that that would damage its call as a physician. Instead it encouraged to let friends their own modifications of its works patent its.

Ring-back signal

Some work regards Erasmus Darwin as "one of the most ingenious personalities, which inhabited ever British soil", was in such a manner respectable it as physician, scientist and a poet. The Reputation, which it enjoyed at its time shows among other things a quotation of the philosopher Samuel Coleridge (1772-1834) of 1796 over Erasmus Darwin:

"I think he is the roofridge literary characters in Europe, and the most original minded one".

After its death he was forgotten however - particularly outside of Great Britain - fast. Only in the second half 20. Century the genius Erasmus Darwin was rediscovered by the biologist Desmond King healing in several biographies.

Selected works of Erasmus Darwin

A system OF of vegetables, according tons their classes" (1783) - translation of a work by Carl Linnaeus.
The of families OF Plants with their natural character" (1787) - translation of a work by Carl Linnaeus.
'' The botanic guards. A Poem in two parts. Part I, The economy OF vegetation '' (1791). '' Part II, The Loves OF the Plants '' (1789). - Seal.
Zoonomia, or, the laws OF organic life (1794-96).
A flat for the conduct OF female education in boarding schools (1797).
Phytologia, or the philosophy OF agriculture and gardening (1800).
The temple OF nature or the origin OF society (1803) - seal.

Literature over Erasmus Darwin

Anna Seward: Note IR OF the life OF Dr. Darwin, chiefly during his residence RK Lichfield; with anecdotes OF his friends, and criticisms on his writings (1804).
Charles Darwin: The Life OF Erasmus Darwin (1879).
The moon King healing: Erasmus Darwin: A Life OF Unequalled Achievement. Giles de la Mare, 1999.
Ruffle, Ernst: Erasmus Darwin and its position in the history of the Descendenz theory. Leipzig, Vlg. 1880.