Food for Thoughts – IDEAS in WORDS, IMAGES, and MEDICINE

Charles Kingsley (1819-1875)

Best known for his children's book on Greek mythology, "The Heroes" (1857) and  his "The Water-Babies" (1863), a classic on the needed social reforms, Kingsley is also remembered as one who recognized from the very start the value of Darwin's  "On the Origin of Species" (1859) and its prospective impact. Kingsley did not support the Christian dogma of the immutability of the species. In subsequent editions, Darwin cited Kingsley as saying " A celebrated author and divine has written to me that he has gradually learnt to see that it is just as noble a conception of the Deity to believe that He created a few original forms capable of self-development into other and needful forms, as to believe that He required a fresh act of creation to supply the voids caused by the action of His laws."

CAVIAT - Be aware that Kingsley had racist views and had little respect for the disabled - almost a prelude to the euthanasia (killing) of the deformed and mentally retarded fostered in Nazi Germany.