Description
Book SynopsisExplores the historical and scientific issues that made comparative anatomy central to 19th-century biology and fostered the development of Darwin's theory of evolution.
Trade Review'Appel has illuminated brilliantly the French intellectual scene in the 19th century...Under consideration are not only biological aspects of the debate, but also its religious, social and polical backgrounds, and its later influence on evolutionary theory and other modalities of culture and intellect....This beautifully organized, elegantly written book, based on sound research, is recommended strongly to readers interested in the forms and functions of the organism that is science.' The Scientist
'Long-awaited and exhilarating study... the definitive modern account... Historians are only now coming to realize how prevalent and important morphological theories were in the pre-Darwinian period. The Cuvier-Geoffroy Debate contributes substantially to this changing historical perspective. Toby Appel's masterly study is destined to become a landmark.' Nature
'this is a fascinating, clearly told and meticulously documented ... This is a fine work of scholarship, deserving to be read by all who are interested in the history of biology and palaeontology. Ignore the drab dust jacket and do not be deterred by the lack of enlivening illustration; buy it, read it, and learn much!' William A.S. Sarjeant, University of Saskatchewan, Modern Geology, 1992, Vol. 16
Table of ContentsA classic confrontation and its interpretations; Cuvier and Geoffroy: Collaborators on a new science; "Le legislateur de la science" Cuvier and functionalist anatomy; Geoffroy and the emergence of philosophical anatomy; The battle lines are drawn: 1820-1829; The debate before the academie; Beyond the academie: The many uses of the debate; Teleology, morphology, and evolution: The debate and the future of zoology.
