Charles Darwin: Observations and Struggles
Everyone has heard of Charles Darwin; he was a scientist and naturalist and to some people the most important scientist of modern times. He is best known for introducing the theory of evolution based on natural selection. His most famous book, and the one that introduced this theory, is On the Origin of Species. A big thing that influenced his decision to write this book was his voyage on The Beagle, especially his trip to the Galapagos Islands. However, when he returned home he did have a couple struggles while writing the book. Between his struggle with religion and his daughter falling ill, he almost did not finish the book. However, in the end he prevailed and created one of the most influential …show more content…
In that whole trip, the one place he explored that influenced him the most, was the Galapagos Islands. While he was there he discovered many unique species of plants and animals that are not seen anywhere else. This made him come the the conclusion that geographic proximity predicts relationships between organisms. He realized that plants that live in tropical South America most closely resemble each other, compared to European plants. He also realized that fossils of extinct South American species still most closely resemble South American living species. However, the most important thing he observed in the Galapagos Islands were the tortoises and the finches. He found that on each island there were different types of tortoises and finches. For example, on one island there were tortoises with a saddleback shell, and on another island there were tortoises with a domed shell. Some of them also had different neck lengths. Also, on some islands there were finches with strong thick beaks, great for cracking open nuts and seeds. However, on other islands there were finches with long, thin beaks for catching insects. He finally realized that at one …show more content…
Annie Darwin was the second of ten children, and one of the three to die in childhood. She died on April 23, 1851 when she was just a mere ten years old. It’s not known exactly how long her illness lasted but it was thought to have been anywhere between several weeks to as long as nine months. Darwin was particularly fond of Annie, as he mentioned her in seventeen of his letters before her final illness, usually in an affectionate or humorous manner (Van pg 2). Annie fell ill sometime before her tenth birthday. Her sister Henrietta kept a diary and according to that, the family took a trip to Ramsgate in October of 1850 because of Annie’s poor health. She also recalled that on March 24, 1851, Darwin took Annie to Malvern to receive a water cure treatment by Dr. James Gully; which did not work. Finally, Darwin left Annie in the care of her nurse and the family governess. On April 23, 1851, Darwin recorded an entry in his journal which said, “23 April our dear child expired.” There’s no question that Annie’s death caused a great distress to her parents. Darwin wrote a compassionate memoir of Annie a week after her death, which was first published in The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin. In it he writes: “We have lost the joy of the Household, and the solace of our old age - she must have know how we loved her; oh that she could know how deeply, how tenderly we do
Everyone has heard of Charles Darwin; he was a scientist and naturalist and to some people the most important scientist of modern times. He is best known for introducing the theory of evolution based on natural selection. His most famous book, and the one that introduced this theory, is On the Origin of Species. A big thing that influenced his decision to write this book was his voyage on The Beagle, especially his trip to the Galapagos Islands. However, when he returned home he did have a couple struggles while writing the book. Between his struggle with religion and his daughter falling ill, he almost did not finish the book. However, in the end he prevailed and created one of the most influential …show more content…
In that whole trip, the one place he explored that influenced him the most, was the Galapagos Islands. While he was there he discovered many unique species of plants and animals that are not seen anywhere else. This made him come the the conclusion that geographic proximity predicts relationships between organisms. He realized that plants that live in tropical South America most closely resemble each other, compared to European plants. He also realized that fossils of extinct South American species still most closely resemble South American living species. However, the most important thing he observed in the Galapagos Islands were the tortoises and the finches. He found that on each island there were different types of tortoises and finches. For example, on one island there were tortoises with a saddleback shell, and on another island there were tortoises with a domed shell. Some of them also had different neck lengths. Also, on some islands there were finches with strong thick beaks, great for cracking open nuts and seeds. However, on other islands there were finches with long, thin beaks for catching insects. He finally realized that at one …show more content…
Annie Darwin was the second of ten children, and one of the three to die in childhood. She died on April 23, 1851 when she was just a mere ten years old. It’s not known exactly how long her illness lasted but it was thought to have been anywhere between several weeks to as long as nine months. Darwin was particularly fond of Annie, as he mentioned her in seventeen of his letters before her final illness, usually in an affectionate or humorous manner (Van pg 2). Annie fell ill sometime before her tenth birthday. Her sister Henrietta kept a diary and according to that, the family took a trip to Ramsgate in October of 1850 because of Annie’s poor health. She also recalled that on March 24, 1851, Darwin took Annie to Malvern to receive a water cure treatment by Dr. James Gully; which did not work. Finally, Darwin left Annie in the care of her nurse and the family governess. On April 23, 1851, Darwin recorded an entry in his journal which said, “23 April our dear child expired.” There’s no question that Annie’s death caused a great distress to her parents. Darwin wrote a compassionate memoir of Annie a week after her death, which was first published in The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin. In it he writes: “We have lost the joy of the Household, and the solace of our old age - she must have know how we loved her; oh that she could know how deeply, how tenderly we do