charles darwin after one hundred years

BYU Studies Quarterly BYU Studies Quarterly

Volume 1 Issue 2 Article 5

4-1-1959

Charles Darwin After One Hundred Years Charles Darwin After One Hundred Years

Vasco M. Tanner

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation Tanner, Vasco M. (1959) "Charles Darwin After One Hundred Years," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 1 : Iss. 2 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol1/iss2/5

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charles darwinhundred years

VASCO M TANNER

past three centuries man physical intellectualenvironment undergoing changes great massespopulation western world failed grasp basicmeaning these changes result living under

dictates culture pasttoday never before man due use scientific

method learning secrets operation inanimateanimate world opened vastness universe

leaves us feeling awe reverence ul-timate power back

thinking men women see changes occurringworld today agreed world us under-going orderly change see mountains changed val-leys seas filled erosive power mighty rivers howradioactiveradio active elements disintegrate form new elementshow man shrinking universe frightening rate

change scientist evolution opposed beliefunchangeable fixed universe

fear evolution minds many people involvesfear science general unfortunately those

fear science hold people should kept ignorancephysical organic world since learning ways

nature may contrary beliefs come downthrough ages these views do frequently make allow-ances changing times live either findourselves changing world unchanging through

dictates our own cogitation led accept viewworld changing accept evolution implies

dr tanner professor zoology entomology brigham younguniversity read paper before staff members studentscollege biological agricultural sciences brigham young univer-sity weber college faculty association november 23 24 1959

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Tanner: Charles Darwin After One Hundred Years

Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 1959

44 BRIGHAM YOUNG university STUDIES

throughout nature orderly changepoint I1 wish emphasize orderliness

found nature through laborious research great humanminds now able deduce changes partgreat process beginning end withinour powers comprehension concept easycome result painstaking struggle naturecharles darwin thoroughly convincedbegan delving nature secrets just evolutionuniverse slow process meaning significance

slowly grasped man nevertheless few excep-tions accepted view scientists world

acceptance universal continuous change livingnonlivingnon living matter well our way looking

contribution exponents line think-ing

today pause commemorate contributionsthese famous men charles robert darwin englishman

born february 12 1809 hundred fifty years agofebruary 12 1809 same day month year

another great world figure born abraham lincolnamerican both emancipatorsemancipatory man intellectual out-

look man body lash task masterradical adjustments intellectual spiritual socialbiological philosophies planning man conse-quentialquential results impact contributions these lib-eratorserators

just hundred years ago today november24 1859 darwin epoch making book originspecies means natural selection preservationfavouredFavour ed races struggle life published lon-don england whole edition 1250 copies exhausted

day issuecharles darwin son robert darwin

grandson erasmus darwin age 16 charlessent father edinburgh study medicineinterested medicine spent much time duringnext three years attending lectures natural history ge-ology under direction professors henslowdenslow sedgwick

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BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 1, Iss. 2 [1959], Art. 5


CHARLES DARWIN HUNDRED YEARS 45

1828 request father entered christ collegecambridge took degree 1831

darwin interests now much biology geologydivinity thus eligible become naturalist

famous british expedition preparing goaround world

young darwin age 22 received appointment nat-uralist due helpful influence professors henslowdenslowlyell sailed devonport december 27 1831beagle ten gun brig under command captain fitz roy

returned england october 1836 end voy-age took him around world studied southamerica galapagos islands tahiti new zealand australiatasmania st helena atlantic ocean islands1838 1841 secretary geological societyengland during time spent many hours sircharles lyell great geologist time january 1839charles darwin married emma wedgwood cousinlived london until 1842 moved down kent20 miles london parents 10 childrentwo daughters five sons survived him four sonsbecame distinguished scientists members royal soci-ety london wife good companion him helpinghim short working periods two three hours eachday lack stamina owing illness acquiredduring five year voyage beagle died april 191882 buried westministerWestminister abbey

charles darwin grew conservative intellectual cli-mate theory descent transmutation however be-ing widely discussed men lamarck charles lyellhenslowdenslowHenslow hooker sedgwick erasmus darwin charlesgrandfather died seven years before charles born

advocate transmutation lyell owing findingrock strata fossils advocating earth mucholder generally maintained darwin glimpsedforest jungles brazil became fascinated splendor

forests birds insects learned how perfectlyspecies escaped destruction camouflage mimicry how

ages struggle life going great colleccallec

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tionseions plants insects birds fossils collecteddispatched england future study during pen-sivesive moments began realize time change

essence transmutation data gatheringvalue him future gathering

facts able make far reachinglasting deduction

three years spent south americabeagle arrived galapagos archipelago september 15

18351855 darwin looking forward study florafauna these islands here began realizeisolation competition time creative

factors organic worldgalapagos islands situated equator 500 miles

west ecuador administers them consists 10 majorseveral small volcanic islands these islands discover-

ed 1535 visited buccaneersbucca neers whalerschalerswhalersscientific collectors until recently ecuador

ianslansianslans established penal colony st charles island sincedarwin visit 1835 much disturbance fauna flora

resulted introduction animals islandsruthless killing tortoises

these oceanicoceanic islands darwin found unique plantanimal world little cosmos nothing like place

earth spending five weeks surveying severalislands made interesting report findings 1

believed archipelago result volcanic actionled him classify oceanic islands information

now available throws doubt upon conclusion sincepliocene fossils unearthed islandsdisregarding origin islands darwin foundindigenous land mammal mouse amphibians threeunique reptiles great land tortoises two iguanasaquatic habit living entirely landthirteen species finchescinchesfinches well many animalsplants

large tortoises found major islandsthem grow immense size darwin reports

I11 journal researches 19011901 new york C F collier sonchap 17

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specimens require six eight men lift them groundafford much two hundred pounds meat

males larger females tortoises livelower arid parts islands feed chiefly cactus

those found higher mountains wheredamp eat leaves berries found various trees

tortoise fond water drinking large quantitiessince springs found larger islands situatedwell away shore central part tortoises

low lands shore areas made well beaten trailssprings traders buccaneersbucca neers followed trailswatering places collecting tortoises meat supply

ships tortoises coming low areasislands water remainremain several days springs

reaches spring darwin reports head buriedwater above eyes greedily swallows great

mouthfulsmouth fuls rate ten minute 2 many daysvisit spirngspireng urinary bladder said dis-

tended fluid many traders seeking water quenchthirst drink contents bladder full

tortoises begin laying eggs fall octobereggs white little larger hen eggusually laid together sand covered female

eggs meat tortoises widely used inhab-itants islands whalerschalers buccaneersbuccaneers

past darwin reports single vessel taken awaymany seven hundred ship company broughtdown beach two hundred tortoises day carefulstudy these interesting creatures revealedfourteen species subspecies living archipelagothem now extinct owing slaughter adults

killing young introduced animals darwin didappreciate first fact fourteen speciesislands attention called vice governorlawson declared tortoises differ dif-ferent islands certainty tellisland brought 3

2 ibid p 45543345353 ibid p 445

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before leaving islands darwin concludedlittle doubt tortoise aboriginal inhabitantgalapagos found nearly is-

lands even smaller ones where waterimported species hardly

case group little frequented 4

iguanas along tortoises conspic-uous animals islands found place

world species amblyrhynchus cristatuscristatus maturethree four feet long weighs 15 20 pounds feedsseaweedssea weeds swimming sea food basks

sun lava rocks along beach speciesdemarde demarinmarlnmarinliiill lives entirely upon land feeds upon land

plants smaller marine species spends muchtime burrows digs volcanic sand

desert lowlands islandsdarwin observes aquatic species far

remarkable existing lizardlives marine vegetable productions 5

remarked must admitquarter world where order reptiles replacesherbivorous mammalia extraordinary manner 6

since thirteen species darwin finchescinches gala-pagos plus cocos island northwest

self contained group obvious relations elsewhere I1

chosen report rather fully habits evolu-tion do vary island island tendifferent species them found single islandreasonably certain darwin finchescinches evolved

original colonizing form close resemblance amongspecies plumage calls nests eggs suggests

yet time diverge far another seemsclear beak differences among several formsfinchescinches adaptive differences greaterforms others these finchescinches furnish circumstantial evi-dence origins new species reason geographicisolation

4 ibid p 4355 ibid p 4416 ibid

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david lack recently studied galapagos finchescinches 7

following notes study

differentiated forms darwin finchescinchesfinchespersist along side each separate species two conditionsmust met first must avoid interbreedinginterbreeding second

must compete same food galapagosislands differentiation possible originalspecies scatter establish separate homes vari-ous islands similar group birds evolved

finchescinches sicklebillssicklebills hawaii likewisearchipelago

14 species darwin finchescinches fall four maingenera fnsffirst ground finchescinchesfinches embracing sixspecies nearly feed seeds groundlive coastal regions secondly treefinchescinchesfinches likewise including sixsix species nearlyfeed insects trees live moist forests thirdly

warblerlikewarbler like finch species feedssmall insects bushes both aridarld humid regions

finally isolated cocos island species livesinsects tropical forest

among ground finchescinchesfinches four species live togetherislands three them eat seeds differ

each mainly size beaks adapted dif-ferent sizes seeds fourth species feeds largely prick-ly pear much longer pointed beaktwo remaining species ground finchescinchesfinches largesmall live chiefly outlying islands where supplemerit seed diet cactus beaks being appropriately modified

tree finchescinchesfinches species vegetarian parrotlike beak seemingly fitted diet buds fruitsnext three species closely alike differing primarily bodysize size beaks fifth species eats in-sects mangrove swamps sixth species tree finchoneofoneff remarkable birds world like woodpecker climbs tree trunks search insectsexcavates bark chisel shaped beak whilebeak approaches woodpecker shape evolved

long tongue woodpecker probes insectscranniescrannies instead tree finch solves problem anotherway carries cactus spine small twigpokes cracks dropping stick seize insectemerges astonishing practice few recorded

7 david lack darwin cinchesfinchesFinches scientific american april 1953

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cases use tools animal manape 8

time permit discussion elementsffaunaauna ffloralorafioraiora sufsufficef ice report 400species plants reported islands 50 per cent

them indigenous 35 familiescoleoptera represented 205 species far

majority endemic

confronted array new animals plants darwinbegan search explanation origin these is-lands noted above removed main land southamerica direct course humboldt cur-rent coming antarctic region makes sur-face waters islands 15 20 degrees coolernearby tropical sea storms strong winds rarely occurwinter rains light mountains islandsrising several thousand feet usually covered mist

makes possible growth trees ferns low-lands shores desertlikedesert like continuousstreams very few springs dry during

year let us see what darwin thinkingproblem following quotation journal

researches

natural history these islands eminently curiouswell deserves attention organic productionsaboriginal creations found nowhere else even dif-ference between inhabitants different islands yet

show marked relationship those americathough separated continent open spaceocean between 500 600 miles width archipelago

little world within itself rather satellite attachedamerica whence derived few stray colonistsreceived general character indigenous productionsconsidering small size these islands feelastonished number aboriginal beings

confined range seeing every height crownedcrater boundaries lava streams stilldistinct led believe within period geologicallyrecent unbroken ocean here spread hence both

space time seem brought somewhat near

8 ibid

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great fact mystery mysteries first appear-ance new beings earth 9

reviewing facts here given astonishedamount creative force expression may useddisplayed these small barren rocky islands still

diverse yet analogous action points neareach I1 said galapagos archipelago might

called satellite attached america should rathercalled group satellites physically similar organically

distinct yet intimately related each relatedmarked though much lesser degree great ameri-

can continent 10

darwin returned england questioning attitudebegan once organize voluminous notes studyfossils biological specimens collected during voyage

1839 set forth interesting challenging wayresults experiences five years spent

beagle book naturalistsNatura lists voyage aroundworld brought fame darwin naturalist developed

him determination spend life zoological researchdetermined study transmutation living organ-

isms possible arrive satisfactory explanation1838 while reading malthus population

idea natural selection flashed upon him thus providingtheory work even decision use naturalselection major factor explaining fact evolution

made slow progress 1842 wrote thirty five pagestatement theory descent animals putaside until get supporting data again 1844

added materially first statement 230 page abstractthinking evolution

letter alfred russel wallace early 1858 cameshock darwin ended procrastination pub-

lishing origin species wallace careful field workerwell trained biologist arrived similar conclusion

darwin role played natural selection evolu-tion discussion matter lyell hooker

agreed joint communication views dar9 ibid ppap 427428427 428io10 ibid p 450

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win wallace should published july numberjournal linnean society done then impor-tant darwin should finish study publish origin

species 13 months painstaking writing editingpublished greatest contribution origin species

means natural selection

mixed reaction notables sir johnherschel adam sedgwick bishop wilberforce out-spoken opposition supported leaders

hooker lyell wallace alfred newton huxley spen-cer

hundred years darwinism widely acceptedscientists world through careful efforts charlesdarwin established evolution fact subsequent workers

pointed natural selection isolation variationheredity operating long periods time provide meth-ods factors evolution plants animals seetoday results changes wroughtpreexistingpre existing forms abovementionedabove mentioned factors thusconclude darwin made two major contributions firstestablished evolution fact second advanced naturalselection important factor process fol-lowing say natural selection preservationfavorable individual differences variations des-tructiontruction those injurious I1 called naturalselection survival fittest 11 darwin contendedthroughout writings evolution biological world

slow orderly results long periodstime contention supported additional evidence

several disciplines comparative anatomy em-bryology classification paleontology geographical distribution

animals genetics geology physiology psychology evi-dence support orderly change older speciesrecent ones especially come fields classificationpaleontology geographical distribution natural selection

isolation extrinsic factors method evolutionclearly evident life galapagos islands

11 charles darwin origin species vol 1I p 98 internationalscience library L fowle new york

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charles darwin contributions done unifybiological sciences those man likewiseimpact darwinism felt almost fields

science learning subjects psychology history soc-iology astronomy anthropology benefitedgiven new direction new facts forces instruments

precision our disposal within our grasp meansthoroughly controlling our universe

discussion commented man rela-tionshiption ship higher animal species conclusion may

place make following comments bio-logical philosophical point view ques-tion man related physical way animals

structure physiology embryology heredity make himthem much animal

psychic spiritual characteristics need explainedmuch evolution body accept deduc-

tion presented beginning paper changespart great process beginning end

orderly change runs throughuniverse reason believe possibilities

our time growing evolving placeclearly understand god universe

divinity within us

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charles darwin after one hundred years

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