The Development of Evolutionary Genetics From Early Ideas on Evolution to the Modern Synthesis

The books describes the historical development of evolutionary genetics, starting from early ideas on evolution and ending with the modern synthesis. It provides an extensive coverage of the history of both evolution and heredity, and gives detailed descriptions of the works of Lamarck, Darwin, Mendel, Näageli, Weismann, de Vries, Galton, Pearson, Bateson, Johannsen, Morgan, Fisher, Wright and Haldane, amongst many others. The book does not deal only with a description of historical work: it also analyses and critiques existing theories and evolutionary beliefs throughout history, and discusses several controversies between biologists.

Before Darwin’s Origin of Species.- Darwin and the Origin of Species.- Hybridization from the Earliest Times Till Darwin.- Galton’s Theory of Heredity.- The Theories of Heredity of Nägeli, Weismann, and de Vries.- Mendel’s Theory of Heredity.- Introduction to the Biometry-Saltationism Debate.- Biometry-Saltationism Controversies During the Pre-Mendelian Period.- Biometry-Saltationism Controversies in the Immediate Post-Mendelian Period.- Round 6: Attempted ReconcilIation Between Mendel’s and Ancestral Laws: The Birth of the (Hardy-Weinberg) Equilibrium Law (Yule 1902, Castle 1903, Pearson 1904, Hardy 1908, Weinberg 1908).- Round 7: The Darbishire Affair (1902-1905).- Round 8: The Johannsen Breakthrough - Pure-Line Theory (1903), Gene and Genotype-Phenotype Distinction (1909).- Stages Leading to The Modern Synthesis.- Modern Synthesis (1): The Contributions of Fisher.- Modern Synthesis (2): The Contributions of Wright.- Modern Synthesis (3): The Contributions of Haldane.

Dr Prakash Gorroochurn, Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Columbia University, obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematical Population Genetics from Monash University, Australia. He is an Associate Editor of the journals The American Statistician. His research interests include mathematical population genetics, genetic epidemiology, and the history of probability and statistics.

He is also the author of the book “Classic Problems of Probability” which won the 2012 PROSE Award for Mathematics from The American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence.