Evolution of to-day ; a summary of the theory of evolution as held by scientists at the present time, and an account of the progress made by the discussions and investigations of a quarter of a century / by H.W. Conn.

  • Conn, H. W. (Herbert William), 1859-1917.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Evolution of to-day ; a summary of the theory of evolution as held by scientists at the present time, and an account of the progress made by the discussions and investigations of a quarter of a century / by H.W. Conn. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    EVOLUTION OF TO-DAY. INTRODUCTION. It is now a full quarter of a century since the pub- lication of Darwin's Origin of Species opened to the world a new line of thought. Not only in science did this book offer an untrodden field for investigation, but its influence has extended to all other departments of learning. The general idea of evolution which this book brought into prominent notice has invaded the domain of philosophy, men- tal science, philology, and even our conceptions of religion and revelation have been modified by it. Hardly a line of study can be taken up without meeting at the outset this question of origin. Whatever may be the conclusion as to the truth of the ideas embodied in this work of Darwin, no one will fail to recognize that they have had an enor- mous influence upon the thought of the age. We read everywhere of evolution, evolution of the uni- verse, of life, of intellect, of morals, of language ; and even artificial products are viewed under a like law, and the evolution of the steamboat or of the steam-engine is not an unfamiliar phrase. All this