The Greatest and Most Controversial Discovery in Scientific History: Darwin’s Idea (2004)


Gray and Joseph Dalton Hooker went to visit Richard Owen at London’s Hunterian Museum in January 1839. About the book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812968492/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0812968492&linkCode=as2&tag=tra0c7-20&linkId=c04067e9346d02724463b8d65e6b6141

Gray met Charles Darwin during lunch that day at Kew Gardens, apparently introduced by Hooker. Darwin found a kindred spirit in Gray, as they both had an empirical approach to science, and first wrote to him in April 1855.[114] From 1855–1881 they exchanged about 300 letters.[115] Darwin then wrote to Gray requesting information about the distribution of various species of American flowers, which Gray provided, and which was helpful for the development of Darwin’s theory. This was the beginning of an extensive lifelong correspondence.

Gray, Darwin, and Hooker became lifelong friends and colleagues, and Gray and Hooker conducted research on Darwin’s behalf in 1877 on their Rocky Mountain expedition. After Hooker returned to England and reported to Darwin on their adventure, Darwin wrote back to Gray: “I have just… heard prodigies of your strength & activity. That you run up a mountain like a cat!”[119]

By the early 1850s Gray had clearly defined his concept that the species is the basic unit of taxonomy. This was partly the result of the 1831–1836 voyage during which Darwin discovered the differentiation of species among the various Galápagos Islands. Gray was opposed to the idea of transmutation of species. Local geography could produce variances, like in the Galápagos and Hawaii (which Gray did not get to study in depth like he wanted) but Gray was insistent that a genetic connection must exist between all members of a species, that like begat like. This concept was critical to Darwin’s theories.[120]

When Darwin received Alfred Russel Wallace’s paper which described natural selection, Hooker and Charles Lyell arranged for a joint reading of papers by Darwin and Wallace to the Linnean Society on July 1, 1858. Since Darwin had nothing prepared, the reading included excerpts from his 1844 Essay and from a letter he had sent to Asa Gray in July 1857, outlining his theory on the origin of species. By that time Darwin was into writing his book On the Origin of Species.[121] The correspondence with Gray was thus a key piece of evidence in establishing Darwin’s intellectual priority with respect to the theory of evolution by natural selection. Neither Darwin nor Wallace attended the meeting. The papers were published by the society as On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection.[122] By summer 1859 it was obvious to Gray and others working with Darwin that On the Origin of Species would be a ground-breaking book.[123]

Darwin published On the Origin of Species on November 24, 1859.[124] The first printing was 1,250 copies, with some having been sent to America via ship; one of those was for Gray. Gray’s copy arrived just before Christmas, and he read it between Christmas and New Year’s.[125] Since there was no international copyright law at the time, Gray also worked to protect the book from publishing piracy. Per American law at the time, a copyright could only be secured by an American edition being published by an American citizen, and royalties were not required to be paid to the author.[126] Gray arranged the first American edition of On the Origin of Species and was able to negotiate royalties on Darwin’s behalf. Gray took a 5% royalty from the publisher, and Darwin was so grateful for Gray’s efforts that he offered Gray some of his royalties.[126][127] Darwin held Gray in high esteem: he dedicated his book Forms of Flowers (1877) to Gray, and he wrote in 1881, “there is hardly any one in the world whose approbation I value more highly than I do yours.”[128] Seeing the “unity we perceive in nature”, Gray strongly objected to the idea of transmutation of species but not special creation. Perceiving law in the universe, he saw all species “that they not only had a Creator but have a Governor.”[129] Darwinism was another area where Gray and Agassiz strongly disagreed; Agassiz was adamantly opposed whereas Gray was a staunch supporter.[130] As the debate raged over Darwin’s theories, the rift between Gray and Agassiz grew deeper and they were estranged by December 1863, when Gray was elected president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which also marked Agassiz’ increasing isolation within the scientific community.[131] Gray showed little interest in scientific politics and resigned from the National Academy of Sciences in 1867.[132] In late 1866 Agassiz apologized to Gray and the two were at least civil to one another again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Gray


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