Erasmus Darwin, F. R. S. (1731-1802)

Abstract

A short account of Erasmus Darwin is hard to compass. This massive figure cannot be isolated, for however large he loomed in the last half of the 18th century, the greater figure of his grandson Charles has almost obscured this bulky giant. I am not attempting an assessment of his contribution to evolutionary thought, but hope to present aspects of his originality and humanity that entitle him to be remembered in his own right, besides illuminating some of the sources of his grandson’s genius, both cultural and inherited. Erasmus’s cast of mind appears to hold definite heritable qualities. Why a certain individual pursues a certain branch of knowledge remains hidden; the early chance influence, playing on the inherited capacity and developing in the culture of his time, produces a physician or a philologist, an entomologist or an etymologist. But though the chance influence that kindles the spark is seldom revealed, a substratum of family character through several generations suggests more than family traditions handed on. When we examine the achievements and characteristics of his forbears and descendants, the copious mind of Erasmus appears as a vast family aggregate.