caa a22 4500 465756794 CHVBK 20180323111849.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170327e19900301xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF00158157 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF00158157 Schwartz Joel Department of Biology, College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, Staten Island, USA aut Darwin, Wallace, and Huxley, and Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation [Elektronische Daten] [Joel Schwartz] Conclusion: Publication of the Vestiges and the rather primitive theory of evolution it expounded thus played a significant role in the careers of Darwin and Wallace. In addition, in spite of his poor opinion of the Vestiges, it presented Huxley with a convenient topic for critical discussion and the opportunity to focus more attention on the subject of evolution. The dynamic interactions among these leading figures of nineteenth-century natural science helped spur the development of more sophisticated models of evolution. Darwin had a proper appreciation of Chambers's contribution to evolutionary thought, although he fully recognized the shortcomings of this work. He understood the importance of allowing fresh ideas about organic change to be ventilated. However, he was primarily concerned with his own theory and viewed all developments in evolutionary biology from this perspective. If he did not give full consideration to Chambers and his book early on, it was due mainly to his feeling that the concepts in the Vestiges were very different from his own; he was therefore reluctant to embrace them as the forerunners of his own theory. As a scholar, he was also troubled by the scientific errors in the book. However, the record demonstrates that he attempted to make amends for any oversight on his part. His generous letter to Chambers's daughter, and his gracious treatment of Chambers during the brief time the latter lived in London, are ample proof of that. The attacks of Huxley, Sedgwick, and other prominent natural historians and geologists at the time, the problems inherent in Chambers's evolutionary theory, and the publication of the Origin, are the major reasons why the Vestiges became a neglected work. Nevertheless, Chambers's contribution will always stand out because, together with those of other late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century predecessors of Darwin, it laid the foundations of modern evolutionary thought and, more importantly, helped prepare the scientific community for the more fully developed ideas of Darwin and Wallace. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1990 Journal of the History of Biology Kluwer Academic Publishers 23/1(1990-03-01), 127-153 0022-5010 23:1<127 1990 23 10739 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00158157 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00158157 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Schwartz Joel Department of Biology, College of Staten Island of the City University of New York, Staten Island, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Journal of the History of Biology Kluwer Academic Publishers 23/1(1990-03-01), 127-153 0022-5010 23:1<127 1990 23 10739 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer