Darwin and the White Shipwrecked Sailor: Beyond Blending Inheritance and the Jenkin Myth

Area of Science:

• History of Science
• Evolutionary Biology
• Scientific Review Analysis

Background:

• Fleeming Jenkin's 1867 review of Darwin's Origin of Species is traditionally interpreted as a critique of natural selection.
• This interpretation posits Jenkin argued against natural selection due to 'blending inheritance' and 'swamping' of variations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-examine Jenkin's 1867 review and challenge its classical interpretation.
• To analyze the content and context of Jenkin's review, including its racial assumptions.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of Fleeming Jenkin's 1867 review.
• Historical contextualization of the review within scientific and racial discourse of the era.
• Examination of scholarly interpretations of the review.

Main Results:

• The themes of 'blending inheritance' and 'swamping' are absent from Jenkin's actual text.
• Jenkin's review demonstrates low biological expertise and significant racial biases, particularly concerning skin color and heredity.
• The review's purported impact on Darwinian theory is likely overstated and a product of later scholarly interpretation.

Conclusions:

• The classical interpretation of Jenkin's review is a misreading, influenced by later attempts to reconcile Darwinism with genetics.
• Jenkin's review's primary issues concerned intercrossing effects on variation and reversion, not 'blending inheritance'.
• The review highlights the influence of racial ideology on scientific discourse during the 19th century.