NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE SCIENTIFIC FRONT*

Abstract

IN the middle of last century, contemporary thought was no more ready to receive, or able to understand, Darwin's scientific evidence as to man's place in Nature than philosophers and theologians of Galileo's time were willing to be convinced of the truth of his observations and the rational con-elusions derived from them. When the “Origin of Species” was published the review copy sent to The Times was handed to a member of the staff who was responsible for notices of literary works generally. He was an excellent journalist but as innocent of science as a child, so he exercised editorial functions and asked a friend to suggest someone who could write a review which he could adopt with a few introductory remarks of his own. Fortunately, T. H. Huxley undertook to do this, and his fine article on Darwin's book appeared in The Times unsigned in the usual way. It was not until later that he permitted it to be known that he was the author of the review.