May 26

Darwin’s place in history is undeniably secure. His Origin of Species turned the world upside down. While today his theories seem a commonplace, when he published his work the effect was truly astounding. Did Darwin’s work spring fully formed from his pen on to the written page? I think not. In the late 1700s Scotsman James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, proposed the theory that humans were evolved from primates, specifically the orangutan. Monboddo also believed that humans were born with tails but that midwives removed the appendages at birth. While in his sunset years he would disavow this theory, you have to give him credit for at least thinking it all through. Lord Monboddo died on the 26th in 1799.

John Edmonstone taught Darwin taxidermy and ignited Darwin’s interest of the diversity of life in the rainforests of South America. Edmonstone was a freed black slave from Guyana, South America. John had learned taxidermy under the tutelage of Charles Waterton, a very wealthy, very eccentric, aristocrat and explorer.
In his foreword to Origin of Species, Darwin credits Aristotle not, as many in Scotland did, Moboddo, with hinting at the idea of natural selection
Moboddo was no slacker in the smarts department. He graduated from Marischal College, Aberdeen in 1729. He continued his studies at both Edinburgh University and the University of Groningen. At Edinburgh University, he was given a law degree and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1737.