Henry Edward Crampton and Mendelian evolution

Abstract

H.E. Crampton was something of a polymath in biology. He discovered the embryological basis of sinistrality in the development of Physella heterostropha and carried out early parabiotic experiments with the large saturniid moths. He demonstrated stabilizing selection on the body measurements of Philosamia cynthia, and he participated in collecting along a biological transect from Georgetown, Guyana to the slopes of Mount Roraima. It is, however, on his “Studies on the variation, distribution, and evolution of the genus Partula” that his reputation rests. The conclusions of these studies and their impact on the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology are discussed.