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This article is about Erasmus Darwin who lived 1731–1802; for his descendants with the same name see Erasmus Darwin (disambiguation).
Erasmus Darwin

Portrait of Erasmus Darwin
by Joseph Wright of Derby (1792)
Born 12 December 1731(1731-12-12)
Elston Hall, Elston, Nottinghamshire
near Newark-on-Trent
Died April 18, 1802 (aged 70)
Breadsall, Derby
Stone-cast bust of Erasmus Darwin, by W. J. Coffee, c. 1795
Stone-cast bust of Erasmus Darwin, by W. J. Coffee, c. Joseph Wright ( 3 September 1734 - 29 August 1797) styled Wright of Derby was an English landscape and portrait painter Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1731 ( MDCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Elston is a small village in Nottinghamshire to the southwest of Newark, and a mile from the A46 Fosse Way. Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire Newark-on-Trent (generally shortened to Newark) is a Market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Breadsall is a village in the English county of Derbyshire,. Breadsall Priory is nearby Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. William John Coffee (1774&ndash1846 was an internationally renowned English Artist and Sculptor who worked in Porcelain, plaster and Terra cotta 1795

Erasmus Darwin (12 December 1731–18 April 1802), was an English physician, natural philosopher, physiologist, inventor and poet. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1731 ( MDCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health He was one of the founder members of the Lunar Society, a discussion group of pioneering industrialists and natural philosophers. The Lunar Society was a dinner club and informal Learned society of prominent Industrialists natural philosophers and intellectuals who met regularly between For the current in the 19th century German idealism see Naturphilosophie Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature (from He was a member of the Darwin-Wedgwood family, which most famously includes his grandson, Charles Darwin. The Darwin &mdash Wedgwood family was a prominent English family descended from Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, the most notable member of which was Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life

Contents

Biography

Early life

Darwin was born at Elston Hall, Nottinghamshire near Newark-on-Trent, England, the youngest of seven children of Robert Darwin of Elston (12 August 1682–20 November 1754), a lawyer, and his wife Elizabeth Hill (1702–1797). Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire Newark-on-Trent (generally shortened to Newark) is a Market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1754 ( MDCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or His siblings were:

He was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School, then later at St John's College, Cambridge. Robert Waring Darwin (1724–1816 of Elston Hall. He was the son of Robert Darwin of Elston (1682-1754 a lawyer and his wife Elizabeth Hill (1702-1797 Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1724 ( MDCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1816 ( MDCCCXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 1725 ( MDCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1726 ( MDCCXXVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1783 ( MDCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 1727 ( MDCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 1813 ( MDCCCXIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 1729 ( MDCCXXIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 1789 ( MDCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 1730 ( MDCCXXX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned Year 1805 ( MDCCCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or St John's College, an institution known formally as The Master Fellows and Scholars of the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge is a The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the He obtained his medical education at Edinburgh Medical School. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Whether Darwin ever obtained the formal degree of MD is not known.

Darwin settled in 1756 as a physician at Nottingham, but met with little success and so moved the following year to Lichfield to try to establish a practise there. Lichfield is a city and Civil parish in Staffordshire, England. A few weeks after his arrival, using a novel course of treatment, he restored the health of a young man whose death seemed inevitable. This ensured his success in the new locale. Darwin was a highly successful physician for more than fifty years in the Midland counties. George III invited him to be Royal Physician, but Darwin declined. George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places Physician to the King/Queen is the title of the physician acting as officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the

Marriages and children

Darwin married twice and had 14 children, including 2 illegitimate daughters by a mistress, and, possibly, at least one further illegitimate daughter.

In 1757, he married Mary (Polly) Howard (1740–1770). They had four sons and one daughter, two of whom (a son and a daughter) died in infancy:

The first Mrs. Darwin died in 1770. A governess, Mary Parker, was hired to look after Robert. A governess is a female employee of a family who teaches children within their home Dr Robert Waring Darwin, FRS ( 30 May, 1766 - 13 November, 1848) was a Shrewsbury -based Medical doctor, today By late 1771, Darwin and Parker had become intimately involved and together they had two illegitimate daughters:

Susanna and Mary Jr later established a school boarding school for girls. In 1782, Mary Sr married Joseph Day (1745–1811), a Birmingham merchant, and moved away.

Meanwhile, Lucy, daughter of Lucy Swift (was born in 1771, and was christened a daughter of William and Lucy Swift; but she may have been Erasmus Darwin's daughter [1]. Lucy Jr. married John Hardcastle in Derby in 1792 and their daughter, Mary, married Francis Boott, the physician. Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. Francis Boott (1792–1863 was an American Physician and Botanist who was resident in Great Britain from 1820

In 1775, Darwin met Elizabeth Pole, daughter of Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore, and wife of Colonel Edward Pole (1718–1780); but as she was married, Darwin could only make his feelings known for her through poetry. Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Charles Colyear 2nd Earl of Portmore KT ( 27 August 1700 &ndash 5 July 1785) was a Scottish nobleman known as Beau Edward Pole died in 1780. So, in 1781, Darwin married Elizabeth Pole and moved to her home, Radburn Hall, four miles (6 km) west of Derby. Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. (The hall and village are these days known as Radbourne. Radbourne is a small village in the English county of Derbyshire, a few miles west of Derby. ) In 1782, they moved to Full Street, Derby. Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. They had four sons, one of whom died in infancy, and three daughters:

Death

Darwin died suddenly on the 18 April 1802, weeks after having moved to Breadsall Priory, just north of Derby. Breadsall Priory is a former Priory in Derbyshire. A house of the Friars Eremites, founded it is said by the Dethick family, about the middle Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. He is buried in All Saints Church, Breadsall.

Erasmus Darwin is commemorated on one of the Moonstones; a series of monuments in Birmingham. The Moonstones ( are a set of eight carved Sandstone Memorials to various members of the Lunar Society. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um

Scientific writings

Botanical works

Darwin formed the Lichfield Botanical Society in order to translate the works of the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus from Latin into English. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for This took seven years. The result was two publications: A System of Vegetables between 1783 and 1785, and The Families of Plants in 1787. In these volumes, Darwin coined many of the English names of plants that we use today.

Darwin then wrote The Loves of the Plants, a long poem, which was a popular rendering of Linnaeus' works. The Botanic Garden (1791 is a set of two poems The Economy of Vegetation and The Loves of the Plants, by the British poet and Naturalist Darwin also wrote Economy of Vegetation, and together the two were published as The Botanic Garden. The Botanic Garden (1791 is a set of two poems The Economy of Vegetation and The Loves of the Plants, by the British poet and Naturalist The Botanic Garden (1791 is a set of two poems The Economy of Vegetation and The Loves of the Plants, by the British poet and Naturalist

Zoönomia

Darwin's most important scientific work is Zoönomia (1794–1796), which contains a system of pathology, and a treatise on "generation", in which he, in the words of his famous grandson, Charles Robert Darwin, anticipated the views of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, who in turn is regarded to have foreshadowed the theory of evolution. Zoonomia vol I or the Organic Laws of Life was a work on biology by Erasmus Darwin, incorporating some early ideas of the Theory of evolution more fully developed Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and Generation (from the Greek γενεά) also known as procreation, is the act of producing Offspring. Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet Chevalier de Lamarck ( August 1, 1744 &ndash December 18, 1829) was a French Soldier eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Darwin based his theories on David Hartley's psychological theory of "associationism". David Hartley (June 21 1705&ndashAugust 28 1757 was an English philosopher and founder of the Associationist school of Psychology Associationism in philosophy refers to the idea that mental processes operate by the association of one state with its successor states [1] The essence of his views is contained in the following passage, which he follows up with the conclusion that one and the same kind of living filament is and has been the cause of all organic life:

Would it be too bold to imagine that, in the great length of time since the earth began to exist, perhaps millions of ages before the commencement of the history of mankind would it be too bold to imagine that all warm-blooded animals have arisen from one living filament, which the great First Cause endued with animality, with the power of acquiring new parts, attended with new propensities, directed by irritations, sensations, volitions and associations, and thus possessing the faculty of continuing to improve by its own inherent activity, and of delivering down these improvements by generation to its posterity, world without end!

Erasmus Darwin was familiar with the earlier evolutionary thinking of James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, and cited him in his 1803 work Temple of Nature. James Burnett Lord Monboddo ( October 25, 1714 - May 26, 1799) was a Scottish Judge, scholar of language evolution and

Another of his grandsons was Francis Galton (see family tree below). Sir Francis Galton FRS ( 16 February 1822 &ndash 17 January 1911) half-cousin of Charles Darwin, was an

Poem on evolution

Darwin's final long poem, The Temple of Nature, was published posthumously in 1803. The poem was originally titled The Origin of Society. It is considered his best poetic work. It centers on Darwin's newly-conceived theory of evolution. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 The poem traces the progression of life from microorganisms to civilized society. Darwin largely anticipated most of what his grandson Charles Darwin would later propose, except for the idea of natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of

His poetry was admired by Coleridge and Wordsworth. Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( 21 October 1772 &ndash 25 July 1834) was an English Poet, Critic and philosopher It often made reference to his interests in science; for example botany and steam engines. A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid. His most famous work of poetry was The Botanic Garden. The Botanic Garden (1791 is a set of two poems The Economy of Vegetation and The Loves of the Plants, by the British poet and Naturalist

Lunar Society

The Lunar Society: These dates indicate the year in which Darwin became friends with each of these persons, who, in turn, became members of the Lunar Society. The Lunar Society was a dinner club and informal Learned society of prominent Industrialists natural philosophers and intellectuals who met regularly between The Lunar Society existed from 1765 to 1813.

Prior to 1765:

After 1765:

Darwin also established a lifelong friendship with Benjamin Franklin, who shared Darwin's support for the American and French revolutions. Benjamin Franklin ( April 17 1790 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The Lunar Society was instrumental as an intellectual driving force behind England's Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the

Other achievements

In addition to the Lunar Society, Erasmus Darwin belonged to the influential Derby Philosophical Society, as did his brother-in-law Samuel Fox (see family tree below). He experimented with the use of air and gases to alleviate infections and cancers in patients. A Pneumatic Institution was established at Clifton in 1799 for clinically testing these ideas. Clifton is the name of both one of the thirty-five council wards in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and of a suburb of the city that lies mostly He conducted research into the formation of clouds, on which he published in 1788. A cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals floating in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another Planetary body He also inspired Robert Weldon's Somerset Coal Canal caisson lock. The Somerset Coal Canal (originally known as the Somersetshire Coal Canal) was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800 from basins at Paulton and A caisson lock is a type of canal lock in which a Narrowboat is enclosed in a sealed box and raised or lowered between two water levels

Darwin's experiments in galvanism were an important source of inspiration for Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein. Biology, galvanism is the contraction of a Muscle that is stimulated by an electric current. Mary Shelley ( Née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a Novel written by the British author Mary Shelley

Cosmological speculation

Contemporary literature dates the cosmological theories of the Big Bang and Big Crunch to the 19th and 20th centuries. The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the Universe that is best supported by all lines of scientific evidence and Observation. In Physical cosmology, the Big Crunch is one possible scenario for the Ultimate fate of the universe, in which the Metric expansion of space eventually However Erasmus Darwin had speculated on these sorts of events in The Botanic Garden, A Poem in Two Parts: Part 1, The Economy of Vegetation, 1791:

Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin

Roll on, ye Stars! exult in youthful prime,
Mark with bright curves the printless steps of Time;
Near and more near your beamy cars approach,
And lessening orbs on lessening orbs encroach; —
Flowers of the sky! ye too to age must yield,
Frail as your silken sisters of the field!
Star after star from Heaven's high arch shall rush,
Suns sink on suns, and systems systems crush,
Headlong, extinct, to one dark center fall,
And Death and Night and Chaos mingle all!
— Till o'er the wreck, emerging from the storm,
Immortal Nature lifts her changeful form,
Mounts from her funeral pyre on wings of flame,
And soars and shines, another and the same.

Inventions

Darwin was the inventor of several devices, though he did not patent any. He believed this would damage his reputation as a doctor, and encouraged his friends to patent their own modifications of his designs.

Rocket engine

In notes dating to 1779, Darwin made a sketch of a simple liquid-fuel rocket engine, with hydrogen and oxygen tanks connected by plumbing and pumps to an elongated combustion chamber and expansion nozzle, a concept not to be seen again until one century later. A rocket engine is a Jet engine that uses only Propellant mass for forming its high speed propulsive jet.

Anti-slavery campaigner

Darwin, along with other members of the Lunar Society, opposed the slave trade, and attacked it in The Botanic Garden (1789–1791), in both The Loves of Plants (1789) and The Economy of Vegetation (1791).

Major publications

Family tree

Appearance in Fiction and Music

Charles Sheffield, an author noted largely for hard science fiction, wrote a number of stories featuring Darwin in a style quite similar to Sherlock Holmes. Charles Sheffield ( June 25, 1935 &ndash November 2, 2002) was an English -born mathematician physicist and Science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of Science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail or on scientific accuracy or on both Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 These stories were collected in a single book The Amazing Dr. Darwin.

Darwin's opposition to slavery in poetry was included by Benjamin Zephaniah in a reading. Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958, Coleshill Birmingham, England is a British Rastafarian writer and dub poet This inspired the establishment of the Genomic Dub Collective, whose album includes quotations from Erasmus "Ras" Darwin, his grandson Charles Darwin and Haile Selassie. Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life Haile Selassie I ( Ge'ez: am ኃይለ፡ ሥላሴ "Power of the Trinity " 23 July 1892 &ndash 27 August 1975 born Tafari Makonnen, was

The forgetting of Erasmus' designs of a rocket is a major plot point in Stephan Baxter's tale alternate universes Manifold: Origin.

References

  1. ^ Chapter 1: The Impact of Darwin on Conventional Thought, Robert M. Young, Darwin's Metaphor: Nature's Place in Victorian Culture, The Human Nature Review, May 28, 2005, ISSN 1476-1084.

External links


Persondata
NAME Darwin, Erasmus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION English physician, botanist; member of the Lunar Society
DATE OF BIRTH December 12, 1731(1731-12-12)
PLACE OF BIRTH Elston Hall near Nottingham, England
DATE OF DEATH April 18, 1802
PLACE OF DEATH Breadsall Priory near Derby, England
Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life The Lunar Society was a dinner club and informal Learned society of prominent Industrialists natural philosophers and intellectuals who met regularly between Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1731 ( MDCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1802 ( MDCCCII) was a Common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Breadsall Priory is a former Priory in Derbyshire. A house of the Friars Eremites, founded it is said by the Dethick family, about the middle Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
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