In Darwin's Shadow: The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace ...

The Mystery of Mysteries Solved / 119
species.” 23 Even in his autobiography, written two decades after the event,
Darwin still recalled that Wallace’s “essay contained exactly the same theory
as mine.” 24 This is surprising since, as we have just read in Wallace’s original
paper, there are distinct differences that Darwin surely could not have missed.
Some historians, for example, point out that Wallace emphasized environmental
selection, or the elimination of the unfit, whereas Darwin tended to
focus on competitive selection, or the success of the fit that secondarily causes
the elimination of the unfit. 25 But we have just seen that Wallace only began
with the elimination of the unfit; he quickly noted the flip side of the equation
where the fit are selected for survival. Other historians suggest that Wallace
thought natural selection operated on varieties already formed, whereas Darwin
saw it as creating varieties out of individual differences. 26
Regardless of how later commentators may parse the theories, in 1858 and
1859 it is clear that Darwin perceived them to be quite similar; certainly close
enough to challenge his sense of priority and cause considerable consternation.
As he told Lyell on the 25th, after a week of hand wringing: “I would
far rather burn my whole book, than that he or any other man should think
that I have behaved in a paltry spirit.” Darwin’s concern was understandable.
He feared complete loss of priority of the theory on which he had worked so
long. Beginning in 1838 and 1839 with the opening of the “M” and “N”
notebooks, and further developed in his essay sketches of 1842 and 1844,
Darwin’s tactical delay in publishing his theory was about to backfire. He
was building his reputation as a keen observer and first-rate zoologist in order
to lessen the shock of what he knew would be his controversial theory of
transmutation. Now someone else might beat him to the punch. He inquired
of Lyell: “Do you not think his having sent me this sketch ties my hands? If
I could honorably publish, I would state that I was induced now to publish a
sketch...from Wallace having sent me an outline of my general conclusions.”
Darwin then requested that his colleague and confidant “send this and
your answer to Hooker...forthen I shall have the opinion of my two best
and kindest friends.” 27
The solution derived by Lyell and Hooker was to read both Wallace’s paper
and Darwin’s sketch of 1844, along with a letter Darwin had written to Asa
Gray on September 5, 1857, outlining his ideas (and thus establishing priority
under the rules of that time), at the July 1, 1858, meeting of the Linnean
Society of London under the title:
“On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties;
and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection.”
By Charles Darwin, Esq., F.R.S., F.L.S., & F.G.S., and Alfred Wallace, Esq.
Communicated by Sir Charles Lyell, F.R.S., F.L.S.,
and J. D. Hooker, Esq., M.D., V.P.R.S., F.L.S., &c.