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> Spring 2005 > Book reviews

By Megan McLaughlin

Francis Galton offers some hope for those creative minds who, romantic at heart and a little careless in their math, aspire to make contributions to the scientific world.

As Bulmer points out in Francis Galton: Pioneer of Heredity and Biometry, unlike the classic scientist, “the romantic is bubbling over with ideas that have to be dealt with quickly to make room for the next one. Some of these ideas are superbly innovative; others are invalid if not silly.” Bulmer reveals Galton to be the typical romantic scientist, one willing to question the status quo with a myriad of ground-breaking ideas based more on intuition than on mathematics.

A scientist of the late nineteenth century, Galton is well known for his theories on improving the human race through eugenics and applying statistics to heredity and evolution in biometrics. Bulmer offers a glimpse into the life of a man who pioneered scientific ideas as well asexplored unkown regions of Africa, who was inspired by Darwin’s The Origin of Species as well as by the poetry of Byron.

Bulmer’s book, however, is not meant to be a biography. It merely gives readers a taste of Galton’s curious life. In fact, the book serves as a complement to Nicholas Wright Gillham’s biography of Galton, Life of Sir Francis Galton: From African Exploration to the Birth of Eugenics, published in 2001. Bulmer more than adequately fills in the blanks left by Gillham’s work. Whereas Gillham’s biography concentrates on the circumstances of Galton’s life and his more controversial work in eugenics, Bulmer focuses on Galton’s achievements in biometrics. By discussing Galton’s theories and how they inspired other scientists to continue his work, Bulmer reveals the role of Galton’s work in contemporary scientific thought. Bulmer does so with skilled clarity, making this book accessible to readers of all scientific backgrounds.

Inspired by The Origin of Species, Galton sought to apply Darwin’s theories to man, and in the process of seeking answers to his initial questions, he found himself asking even more questions. Commenting on one of these deviations, Bulmer asserts that although Galton’s law of ancestral heredity could be considered a “meaningless aberration,” it was a courageous attempt. More importantly, it provided stimulation to Karl Pearson, who went on to develop the theory of multiple regression.

Likewise, Bulmer reveals Galton to have had an insatiable thirst for truth. When challenged by Alphonse de Candolle on the importance placed on heredity over environment in the determination of one’s ability, Galton ardently reassessed the role of genetics. His pioneering use of twin studies has continued and improved since his time.

For those interested in the history of heredity and evolution theories, Galton’s application of statistics to the scientific study of evolution is of critical importance. His work has been the foundation for the mathematical evidence and theory of heredity necessary to explain Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Furthermore, the conflict between biometricians and proponents of Mendelian genetics and the resolution of this debate have shaped modern evolutionary thought.

With Francis Galton: Pioneer of Heredity and Biometry, Bulmer achieves his intent of creating a comprehensive account of Galton’s work in biometrics and, consequently, of the roots of modern thought on the relationship between heredity and evolution. Though Bulmer’s book is not a biography, it nevertheless conveys a sense of Galton’s character — that of a romantically passionate innovator bubbling with thoughts, leading the way for his contemporaries and successors.

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