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Article: The extent of Charles Darwin's knowledge of Mendel.(Gregor Mendel)
- Article from:
- Georgia Journal of Science
- Article date:
- September 22, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Georgia Academy of Science. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
According to several publications, Charles Darwin received a copy of Gregor Mendel's cornerstone paper, "Versuche uber pflanzen hybriden" (1865) but did not read it. Furthermore, a recent book refers to the "mystery" of Darwin supplying Mendel's name for inclusion in the hybridism entry for the Encyclopaedia Britannica in 1880. The conclusion of the present paper is that there is no evidence that Darwin ever received or read Mendel's paper. The link between Darwin and the naming of Mendel in the Encyclopaedia Britannica is explained and demystified. Finally, it is noted that there is no reason to suppose that Darwin would have understood the results of ...