diocrity called “the temple of nature” years before charles was even born。 it wasn’t untilthe younger darwin was back in england and read thomas malthus’s essay on the principleof population （which proposed that increases in food supply could never keep up withpopulation growth for mathematical reasons） that the idea began to percolate through his mindthat life is a perpetual struggle and that natural selection was the means by which somespecies prospered while others failed。 specifically what darwin saw was that all organismspeted for resources； and those that had some innate advantage would prosper and pass onthat advantage to their offspring。 by such means would species continuously improve。
it seems an awfully simple idea—it is an awfully simple idea—but it explained a great deal；and darwin was prepared to devote his life to it。 “how stupid of me not to have thought ofit！” t。 h。 huxley cried upon reading on the origin of species。 it is a view that has beenechoed ever since。
interestingly； darwin didn’t use the phrase “survival of the fittest” in any of his work（though he did express his admiration for it）。 the expression was coined five years after thepublication of on the origin of species by herbert spencer in principles of biology in 1864。
nor did he employ the word evolution in print until the sixth edition of origin （by which timeits use had bee too widespread to resist）； preferring instead “descent with modification。”
nor； above all； were his conclusions in any way inspired by his noticing； during his time inthe galápagos islands； an interesting diversity in the beaks of finches。 the story asconventionally told （or at least as frequently remembered by many of us） is that darwin；while traveling from island to island； noticed that the finches’ beaks on each island weremarvelously adapted for exploiting local resources—that on one island beaks were sturdy andshort and good for cracking nuts； while on the next island beaks were perhaps long and thinand well suited for winkling food out of crevices—and it was this that set him to thinking thatperhaps the birds had not been created this way； but had in a sense created themselves。
in fact； the birds had created themselves； but it wasn’t darwin who noticed it。 at the timeof the beagle voyage； darwin was fresh out of college and not yet an acplished naturalistand so failed to see that the galápagos birds were all of a type。 it was his friend theornithologist john gould who realized that what darwin had found was lots of finches withdifferent talents。 unfortunately； in his inexperience darwin had not noted which birds camefrom which islands。 （he had made a similar error with tortoises。） it took years to sort themuddles out。
because of these oversights； and the need to sort through crates and crates of other beaglespecimens； it wasn’t until 1842； six years after his return to england； that darwin finallybegan to sketch out the rudiments of his new theory。 these he expanded into a 230…page“sketch” two years later。 and then he did an extraordinary thing： he put his notes away andfor the next decade and a half busied himself with other matters。 he fathered ten children；devoted nearly eight years to writing an exhaustive opus on barnacles （“i hate a barnacle as noman ever did before；” he sighed； understandably； upon the work’s conclusion）； and fell preyto strange disorders that left him chronically listless； faint； and “flurried；” as he put it。 thesymptoms nearly always included a terrible nausea and generally also incorporatedpalpitations； migraines； exhaustion； trembling； spots before the eyes； shortness of breath；“swimming of the head；” and； not surprisingly； depression。
the cause of the illness has never been established； but the most romantic and perhapslikely of the many suggested possibilities is that he suffered from chagas’s disease； alingering tropical malady that he could have acquired from the bite of a benchuga bug insouth america。 a more prosaic explanation is that his condition was psychosomatic。 in eithercase； the misery was not。 often he could work for no more than twenty minutes at a stretch；sometimes not that。
much of the rest of his time was devoted to a series of increasingly desperate treatments—icy plunge baths； dousings in vinegar； draping himself with “electric chains” that subjectedhim to small jolts of current。 he became something of a hermit； seldom leaving his home inkent； down house。 one of his first acts upon moving to the house was to erect a mirroroutside his study window so that he could identify； and if necessary avoid； callers。
darwin kept his theory to himself because he well knew the storm it would cause。 in 1844；the year he locked his notes away； a book called vestiges of the natural history of creationroused much of the thinking world to fury by suggesting that humans might have evolvedfrom lesser primates without the assistance of a divine creator。 anticipating the outcry； the author had taken careful steps to conceal his identity； which he kept a secret from even hisclosest friends for the next forty years。 some wondered if darwin himself might be the author。
others suspected prince albert。 in fact； the author was a successful and generally unassumingscottish publisher named robert chambers whose reluctance to reveal himself had a practicaldimension as well as a personal one： his firm was a leading publisher of bibles。 vestiges waswarmly blasted from pulpits throughout britain and far beyond； but also attracted a good dealof more scholarly ire。 the edinburgh review devoted nearly an entire issue—eighty…fivepages—to pulling it to pieces。 even t。 h。 huxley； a believer in evolution； attacked the bookwith some venom； unaware that the author was a friend。
2darwin’s manuscript might have remained locked away till his death but for an alarmingblow that arrived from the far east in the early summer of 1858 in the form of a packetcontaining a friendly letter from a young naturalist named alfred russel wallace and the draftof a paper； on the tendency of varieties to depart indefinitely from the original type；outlining a theory of natural selection that was uncannily similar to darwin’s secret jottings。
even some of the phrasing echoed darwin’s own。 “i never saw a more striking coincidence；”
darwin reflected in dismay。 “if wallace had my manuscript sketch written out in 1842； hecould not have made a better short abstract。”
wallace didn’t drop into darwin’s life quite as unexpectedly as is sometimes suggested。
the two were already corresponding； and wallace had more than once generously sentdarwin specimens that he thought might be of interest。 in the process of these exchangesdarwin had discreetly warned wallace that he regarded the subject of species creation as hisown territory。 “this summer will make the 20th year （！） since i opened my first note…book； onthe question of how & in what way do species & varieties differ from each other；” he hadwritten to wallace some time earlier。 “i am now preparing my work for publication；” headded； even though he wasn’t really。
in any case； wallace failed to grasp what darwin was trying to tell him； and of course hecould have no idea that his own theory was so nearly identical to one that darwin had beenevolving； as it were； for two decades。
darwin was placed in an agonizing quandary。 if he rushed into print to preserve his priority；he would be taking advantage of an innocent tip…off from a distant admirer。 but if he steppedaside； as gentlemanly conduct arguably required； he would lose credit for a theory that he hadindependently propounded。 wallace’s theory was； by wallace’s own admission； the result of aflash of insight； darwin’s was the product of years of careful； plodding； methodical thought。 itwas all crushingly unfair。
to pound his misery； darwin’s youngest son； also named charles； had contracted scarletfever and was critically ill。 at the height of the crisis； on june 28； the child died。 despite thedistraction of his son’s illness； darwin found time to dash off letters to his friends charleslyell and joseph hooker； offering to step aside but noting that to do so would mean that allhis work； “whatever it may amount to； will be smashed。” lyell and hooker came up with thepromise solution of presenting a summary of darwin’s and wallace’s ideas together。 thevenue they settled on was a meeting of the linnaean society； which at the time was strugglingto find its way back into fashion as a seat of scientific eminence。 on july 1； 1858； darwin’s2darwin was one of the few to guess correctly。 he happened to be visiting chambers one day when an advancecopy of the sixth edition of vestiges was delivered。 the keenness with which chambers checked the revisionswas something of a giveaway； though it appears the two men did not discuss it。
and wallace’s theory was unveiled to the world。 darwin himself was not present。 on the dayof the meeting； he and his wife were burying their son。
the darwin–wallace presentation was one of seven that evening—one of the others was onthe flora of angola—and if the thirty or so people in the audience had any idea that they werewitnessing the scientific highlight of the century； they s