From Darwin and the Science of Evolution by Patrick Tort
From Darwin and the Science of Evolution by Patrick Tort |
"At last gleams of light have come," Charles Darwin wrote to a friend years before the publication of On the Origin of Species, "and I am almost convinced (quite contrary to the opinion I started with) that species are not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable." The recipient of this confession was Joseph Hooker.
Educated in medicine at Edinburgh, Joseph Dalton Hooker became an assistant surgeon and (more importantly) botanist for an expedition to Antarctica on which, unfortunately, he had to pay for his own scientific equipment. He enjoyed the spotlight after his return to England, but only briefly, and 16 years would pass before he enjoyed a reliable income. Still, Hooker was not entirely a self-made man. He succeeded his father, Sir William Hooker, as director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, which was precisely what his father wanted — and maneuvered for years to achieve.
Hooker practiced botany when the meaning of "botanist" was still being negotiated. While amateurs called themselves botanists, Hooker insisted that the term should be used more exclusively, namely for someone who oversaw a vast herbarium, as he did.
Hooker's own ambitions in botany led to some interesting working arrangements with amateur collectors. In fact, he used a network of collectors who sent him plants from all over the globe. Hooker enjoyed — and clearly depended on — their contributions, yet he wanted to save the right of naming species for himself. Even if his own ego influenced his views on the profession, he had good reason to restrict naming rights. He once wrote in frustration to the Reverend William Colenso, "From having no Herbarium, you have described as new, some of the best known Ferns in the world." Hooker tried to soften such criticism by helping Colenso join scientific societies and even naming plants after him. Other collectors, however, were completely forgotten as Hooker's aim was largely to distinguish himself from the amateurs who helped him.
In the years before Darwin made his theory of natural selection public, he regularly confided in Hooker, who urged him to publish. Sworn to secrecy by Darwin, Hooker eventually found himself in a difficult situation. When trying to unravel the tapestry of plant species collected from New Zealand, Hooker knew that Darwin's theory would explain the diversity perfectly. (Hooker's own botanical research lent considerable support to Darwin's theory.) But he couldn't discuss the theory until Darwin did. When Hooker published on the flora of New Zealand, he had to tiptoe around the issue. Darwin was nudged into publishing his theory by someone else. In 1858, the gifted young naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace sent a copy of his manuscript about natural selection (though he used different terminology) to Charles Darwin. Hooker and Charles Lyell arranged for both Darwin's and Wallace's papers to be read at the same Linnaean Society meeting.
Though he chose his battles judiciously, Hooker never shied away from defending natural selection, and championed T.H. Huxley in his famous debate with Samuel Wilberforce. For this, Hooker paid a price: He invited the wrath of Richard Owen, who tried for years to wrestle botanical collections away from Kew.
In later years, Hooker traveled extensively, to Europe, North Africa, and the United States, and served as president of the Royal Society from 1873 to 1878. Although a significant number of capable scientists stood by Darwin through the controversy surrounding natural selection, it was Joseph Hooker whom Darwin considered his most consistent ally.
For more information:
"Joseph Hooker: The Making of a Botanist" by Jim Endersby in Endeavour Magazine, March 2001 issue
"The Kingdom of Plants" by John C. Waller in Science Magazine, November 7, 2008 issue
Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: The Power of Place by Janet Browne
Darwin and the Barnacle by Rebecca Stott
Darwin and the Science of Evolution by Patrick Tort
Nature's Government by Richard Drayton
Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer
Evolution by Linda Gamlin
Narrative text and graphic design © by Michon Scott - Updated November 8, 2008