Showing 1–15 of 15 items
The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
RLT to review 2d ed. of Variation and write an article on Pangenesis.
Discussion of "Survival of the Fittest".
Herbert Spencer invented the term "survival of the fittest". CD used it but found "natural selection" more convenient.
He has often spoken of natural selection’s destruction of individuals which do not come up to "proper standards of structure", which comes to nearly the same thing as RLT’s suggested distinction.
Regrowth of an amputated extra thumb.
Thanks RLT for his letter. CD took much trouble over his two cases [regrowth of amputated supernumerary digits, in Variation] but the evidence was shaky.
RLT’s two articles in Spectator [4 Mar and 25 Mar 1876] greatly honour CD.
Tait has made a good point about "Survival of the Fittest".
Dr Rudinger’s extensive inquiries show that all eminent German surgeons are unanimous about non-growth of extra digit after amputation.
J. Kollmann has written regretting CD has given up atavism and extra digits [in 2d ed. of Variation]; gives new evidence of a rudimentary sixth digit in batrachians.
Cat born tailless as a consequence of a spina bifida.
Regrowth of amputated digits is a capacity possessed by the new-born but rapidly lost.
James Paget’s scepticism about regrowth of digits. Suggests RLT experiment with amputation of digits, both extra and normal, of kittens and fowls. Fears they will fail to regrow, but, if regrowth is proved, it will be an important discovery.
The Royal Society have returned RLT’s Nepenthes paper and will not have it read because of unfavourable reports from referees.
Apologises for placing CD in the objectionable position of sponsor for a rejected paper. RLT has gone over old ground in ignorance.
Sends Thiselton-Dyer’s suggestions for references to Nepenthes,
and gives his opinion on what will influence the Royal Society’s Council in considering RLT’s candidacy.
CD sends the gist of an extremely negative report from the [Royal Society’s] physiological referee on the value of RLT’s modifications of Brücke’s process for isolating pepsin [see 10470].
Wishes to make CD an Honorary Member of the Birmingham Natural History Society.
RLT has attempted [in a paper] to apply evolution to moral life.
CD accepts membership in the Birmingham Natural History Society.
Thanks RLT for article. CD cannot quite agree that "under a theological point of view, the origin of evil is explained by survival".
Is glad RLT has not given up polydactylism.
Proposes to work on the origin of diseases; is going to study syphilis.