Abstract
THIS sketch summarizes the history of biology from the middle of the seventeenth century up to the present day, the term biology being used in a restricted sense to include only the fundamental problems of organic life, namely, the genesis of life ; the formation of the organism ; and the evolution of species. While the overall treatment of the subject is chronological, its detailed development is traced in relation to the men of science responsible for major advances. The following examples, selected from the twenty-three chapter headings, suffice to indicate the scope and treatment : Redi, Leeuwenhoek and the microscope ; the experiments of Lazaro Spallanzani ; Cuvier and the science of fossils ; Charles Darwin and the origin of species ; recent advances in biology. Short biographies of the naturalists who have made major contributions to biological thought are included in the chapters dealing with their work. The book concludes with a table setting out the principal dates in the history of biology, a brief bibliography and an index of names cited. It should serve as a valuable introduction to the subject for university students in biology.
Esquisse d'une histoire de la biologie
Jean
Rostand
Par. Pp. 258 + 14 plates. (Paris: Libr. Gallimard, 1945.) 140 francs.
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Esquisse d'une histoire de la biologie. Nature 159, 420 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159420d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159420d0