What did Darwin accomplish while at medical school?
Poor young Darwin had no particular focus in his life at this time, so his father decided he would follow in the long line of doctors in the family and study medicine. Darwin was to be admitted into Edinburgh University, in Scotland - known as having one of Europe's most distinguished medical schools. During the summer Darwin acted as assistant in his father's medical practice, treating poor people, children and women. Much to his father's surprise, young Darwin seemed to enjoy medicine a great deal.
In October of 1825 Darwin started medical school at the University of Edinburgh. His brother joined him there to study for his exams, having completed most of his medical studies at Cambridge. They took lodgings together across the street from the university on Lothian Street. As it was at Revd. Butler's school, his studies at Edinburgh were for the most part a waste of time for Darwin. The only lectures that interested him were those of Professor Thomas Hope's chemistry class. He attended the geology lectures of Professor Jameson but, ironic as it may seem, the subject bored him, and he vowed never to read or study the subject again. It is common knowledge that Darwin loathed the sight of blood, and this is said to have prevented him from pursuing a medical career. While this is true to a certain extent, what mostly stopped him was that he found medical studies an extreme bore - he wondered what his father ever saw in him that led him to think he would make a good doctor.
Once again Darwin's increased interest in natural science was nurtured from outside his formal studies. This was accomplished in many ways: (1) Darwin learned how to stuff animals, (2) he read a very interesting book on natural history, (3) he spent much of his time at the natural history museum in Edinburgh, (4) he joined the Plinian Society, and (5) he became a good friend of Professor Robert Grant.
(1)
Stuffing Animals -
John Edmonstone, a freed black slave from Guyana, South America, had settled in Edinburgh and made his living teaching medical students the fine art of taxidermy. He lived just down the street from Darwin, and they soon became good friends. In February 1826 Darwin paid Mr. Edmonstone to teach him how to stuff animals, and as a bonus, Darwin had the opportunity of drilling him with questions about his homeland in South America. Over the next few months Darwin's head was filled with vivid pictures of the tropical rain forests of South America, and this sent his imagination spinning. His talks with John ignited the spark inside Darwin's mind to desire to travel to South America, a dream that was to be fulfilled a few years later, while the taxidermy skills Darwin learned were indispensable during the Beagle voyage.
(2)
Natural History Book - During the summer, after his first year at medical school, Darwin spent much of his time hiking around northern Wales and reading Revd. Gilbert White's book: "The Natural History of Selborne" (published in 1789). This book taught Darwin to appreciate the richness and beauty of birds, insects, and other creatures, so much in fact, that he started his own field notebook on his observations of birds. Most important of all, this book helped young Darwin develop the habit of making very close observations in nature, a habit that would serve him well all his life.
(3)
Natural History Museum - During his second year at Edinburgh, Darwin found himself alone - his brother having moved to London to study anatomy. He spent much of his free time hanging around the Natural History Museum in Edinburgh. Mr. William Macgillivray, the curator of the museum, took the young Darwin under his wing and taught him volumes on botany, animal anatomy, and inspired Darwin to start taking notes on his observations in nature. His habit of taking notes on his observations was thus strengthened, and proved vitally important during his voyage around the world aboard the Beagle.
(4)
Plinian Society - Early in his second year of medical studies, Darwin started attending the meetings of the Plinian Society - a science club that focused on the merits of studying the world from a natural point of view, rather than a supernatural one. On 27 March 1827 Darwin gave his first speech before the Society on the marine biology of the Firth of Forth, an estuary just north of Edinburgh. The debates at these meetings were perhaps Darwin's first exposure to a discussion of evolutionary theory. Apparently, however, at this time the importance of such ideas did not strike Darwin as being particularly meaningful.
(5)
Robert Grant - During the winter and spring of his second year, Darwin developed a friendship with the Zoology Professor
Robert Grant. They would often go out on long walks together at the Firth of Forth, discussing marine biology and collecting marine animals. Darwin started dissecting some of the specimens they collected, although rather poorly. Grant taught him how to make observations in nature and how to spot important specimens. During these walks Grant filled Darwin's head with evolutionary ideas, especially those of the French naturalist, Lamarck, whom Grant admired a great deal. Darwin was not exactly sure what to make of all this heretical evolutionary talk.
Towards the end of his second year of medical school it became apparent that Darwin was (once again!) not taking his studies seriously. He father heard through the grapevine, perhaps from his daughters, that Darwin was not putting much into his studies at Edinburgh. In April of 1827 Darwin quit medical school for good, and returned home to Shrewsbury to a father who was very concern about what to do with his "lazy" son. Little did his father know that his son was being groomed by a long series of entirely unrelated events to become the most highly respected naturalist of the 19th century.
How was his thirst for science nurtured at Cambridge University?
Fearing that Darwin would end up living the life of an idle gentleman, his father decided his son should study for the clergy - a very respectable profession in the early 1800's. Darwin thought it was a most excellent plan, as members of the clergy were quite keen to engage in natural history studies. He fancied himself leading a small parish village church and spending his spare time studying the flora and fauna of the local countryside - Darwin's idea of heaven. In the mean time, Darwin's social life was looking up. He took an interest in his sister's close friend, Fanny Owen, and he often visited her at her father's house. In January Darwin started his first term at Cambridge University, at Christ's College.
As was previously the case, Darwin did not take his studies very seriously. He only attended a few of the compulsory lectures, and those did not excite him very much. A lot of his time was spent shooting birds in the countryside, playing cards with his friends, and going to dinner parties. He also enjoyed readings of Shakespeare in his rooms, and the engravings of Raffaello Morghen and Peter Muller at the Fitzwilliam Collection in Cambridge.
Four events during the three years Darwin spent at Cambridge were to have a profound impact on his life. These were: (1) Beetle collecting, (2) befriending Revd. John Stevens Henslow, (3) meeting Professor Adam Sedgwick, and (4) reading two books by Sir John Herschel and Alexander von Humboldt.
(1)
Insect collecting - While at Cambridge Darwin took up a new hobby with a passion - beetle collecting. His cousin,
William Fox, who was also attending Cambridge, introduced Darwin to entomology and taught him a great deal about insect classification, and how to work in the field. Quite a lot of Darwin's spare time was spent out in the countryside collecting beetles, and it is not too far of a stretch to say he was addicted to his new hobby. Fanny Owen often scolded him for wasting his time with his beetles. Eventually Darwin had to choose between his girlfriend and entomology. The choice came during his second year at Cambridge. Instead of visiting his girlfriend at her father's house during winter break, he stayed in Cambridge so he could spend all his time chasing after beetles (rather than chasing his girlfriend). Two months later Fanny broke up with poor Charles because he showed more interest in bugs than in her! All humor aside, beetle collecting taught Darwin many vital scientific skills, which included: how to identify species, the proper manner of cataloguing specimens, methods of comparative anatomy, and how to work efficiently in the field.
(2)
Prof. Revd. John Henslow - It would not be an understatement to say that
Revd. John Henslow had the greatest influence upon Charles Darwin during his Cambridge days. Their relationship started when Darwin's cousin, William Fox, invited him to one of Henslow's Friday night dinner parties and introduced Darwin to Henslow. At these dinner parties Henslow gave informal lessons to the upper class students on all matters of science. Darwin soaked up every ounce of knowledge that Henslow dispensed, and in a short time he saw Henslow as one to emulate - a preeminent member of the clergy who was a naturalist beyond compare. Henslow was also impressed with Darwin, and invited him to attend his botany lectures. In Darwin's third year at Cambridge Henslow became his tutor in math and theology.
In time Henslow saw that Darwin was a young gentleman who had great potential as a naturalist. He spent much of his time nurturing his favorite student, and invited him on his scientific excursions into the surrounding countryside. Before long Henslow and Darwin could be seen taking walks around the streets of Cambridge, discussing all matters of scientific inquiry, and Darwin became known as "The man who walks with Henslow." Under Henslow, Darwin's storehouse of scientific knowledge was greatly expanded. He became familiar with such diverse topics as: geology, mathematics, entomology, mineralogy, chemistry, and botany. Perhaps the most profound influence Henslow had on Darwin was that he helped him develop confidence in his own abilities, and made him realize that he had the potential to become a top-notch naturalist. It was at this point that Darwin finally decided what to do with his life. He would become a naturalist and with a little luck, he thought to himself, he may even contribute a little something to humanity's vast store of scientific knowledge.
(3)
Professor Adam Sedgwick - Sedgwick was the Woodwardian Professor of Geology at Cambridge University and was one of the most renowned geologists in all of England. Darwin was introduced to
Sedgwick by Henslow during his third year at Cambridge after Darwin expressed an interest in exploring the Canary Islands. During spring term of 1831 Darwin attended many of Sedgwick's geology lectures and, as opposed to his experience in Edinburgh, he found them most enjoyable. Seeing that a knowledge of field geology would benefit Darwin on his Canary Island excursion, Sedgwick and Darwin went on a geological tour of North Wales during the summer of 1831. The knowledge Darwin gained from Sedgwick turned out to be of invaluable use during his voyage around the world on the Beagle.
(4)
Two Great Books - During his last year at Cambridge University, after completing his final exam (he scored 10th place!) Darwin read Sir John Herschel's "Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy." The primary influence of this book was that it convinced Darwin that there were no limits to the wonders that scientific investigation could uncover, and this instilled in Darwin a burning zeal for science. Another book he read (in the Spring 1831) was Alexander von Humboldt's 7-volume "Personal Narrative of the Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America During the Years 1799-1804." It was this book that really got Darwin's imagination spinning, and he was now dreaming about exploring the glorious tropical rain forests of South America (he was unaware of the H.M.S. Beagle voyage at this time).
By the time Darwin was twenty-two years old he was by no means a "finished naturalist" but he did posses a general knowledge of a wide variety of scientific fields. Perhaps what was more important, however, is that Darwin had developed a burning passion for natural science and an unbounded enthusiasm for exploration. The foundation was now set for Darwin to become one of the greatest naturalists of the 19th century.
Helteet käy voimille...
