Newsgroups: sci.bio
Path: utzoo!rising
From: rising@utzoo.uucp (Jim Rising)
Subject: Darwin & Wallace
Message-ID: <1989Nov28.190615.29666@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 89 19:06:15 GMT

I'm writing in response to a question, "When did Darwin get to
know of Wallace's same thesis?" that I received via e-mail because
I think that the answer is of some general interest to this group.

The classical story is that Wallace wrote his essay "On the
Tendency of Varieties to depart indefinitely from the original
Type" in February 1858, shortly after recovering from a bout of
malaria on the spice island of Ternate, and that Darwin received
the manuscript (Wallace sent it to Darwin for his opinion of the
idea!) on 18 June 1858.  Subsequently, Wallace's essay, preceded
by three dated essay of Darwin (1839, 1844, 1857) were published
simultaneously on 1 July 1958, establishing joint priority for 
the idea (although Darwin clearly had held it at least as early
as 1839).

I've recently read somewhere that both accounts are slightly
romantic, that Wallace really didn't write his essay on Ternate
while recovering from malaria, but somewhat later, and that Darwin
really received his MS somewhat earlier, and sat on it for a while
before determining that he must see it published.  I.e., he didn't
immediately run out and do the noble thing!  Don't recall where I
read that and cannot vouch for its authenticity.

-- Jim Rising
-- 
Name:     Jim Rising
Mail:     Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    M5S 1A1
UUCP:     uunet!attcan!utzoo!rising 
BITNET:   rising@utzoo.utoronto.bitnet


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