Charles darwin and richard owen
Charles darwin and richard owenCharles Darwin and Richard Owen
Wars occur everyday, whether it be pushing and shoving or shooting and bombing. During the 1800's, a
different war of conflict took place. This so-called war between Charles Darwin and Richard Owen circled on the
topic of evolution. As much as it would liked to have this essay based upon a physical war between these two
opposing figures, it is not the case. This war involved the use of text written by Darwin and meanwhile having
Owen misinterpreting it and trying at his very best, falsifying it.
Prior to describing events that took place during the 1800's, it would be best to briefly account for the
characteristics of Owen and Darwin. Richard Owen was born in 1804, and was considered lazy and impudent by
teachers. He attended Lancaster Grammar School to pursue a medical career and later entered the University of
Edinburgh medical school in 1824. However, due to the lack of quality in teaching, Owen transferred to Barclay
School, and it was here that John Barclay, an anti-materialist, greatly influenced Owen. Through Barclay's
recommendation of Owen to John Abernathy, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Owen was granted
membership to the Royal College in 1826. Owen was later appointed assistant in the cataloging of a collection
containing thirteen thousand specimens (known as the Hunterian Collection (Rupke 17)). It was probably this that
lead Owen interest in the field of anatomy, which eventually lead him into becoming a naturalist. By 1836, he
published anatomical work on the Memoir on the Pearly Nautilus (Rupke 119). Within a year, he was giving
lectures to the public on the the Hunterian Collection. These lectures were often attended by important and
royalty figures of Victorian England. Charles Darwin was also one of the many that attended Owen's lectures.
His death in 1892 was treasured with a bronze statue of him placed in the main hall of the Natural History Museum
in South Kensington.
Darwin was born in 1809, he was considered as a man of having a lot of patience and humility. Unlike Owen, he
grew up in a wealthy family with an above average status. His father was an English country doctor, but it was
Darwin's grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, who received the most fame, prior to Charles' popularity. Erasmus Darwin
could be best remembered as the one that declined King George III's grant to take the post of the Royal Physician
in London. He was an English doctor with a high reputation and was also a poet, a philosopher, mathematician,
and a strongly liberal pursuer of human rights (Edey 39). Getting back to Charles Darwin, he was one that loved
the outdoors, his hobbies included collecting shells, moths, butterflies, and beetles. Following his father and
grandfather's footsteps, he was told to be become a doctor,...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.