Biologist Alfred Russell Wallace

Alfred Russell Wallace was born in the village of Usk in Monmouthshire, England in 1823. His father died when Alfred was still young, and not long after that, formal schooling ended for the boy. He then joined his brother, William, in surveying a number of English counties, a task that extended over the next four years, an experience that taught him how to make accurate observations and detailed recordings, skills which would be of immense importance later in his life. Soon after this, Alfred was appointed to the position of drawingmaster at the Collegiate School in Leicester. While there, he met Henry Walter Bates, a fellow teacher who introduced Alfred to the methods and delights of botany. Two years later, the two friends set out for South America on an expedition on which would they would explore the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers. Bates and Wallace split up so they could cover a larger area. Wallace spent over four years in the tropical jungles of Brazil before setting sail for home in 1852. However, he experie

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an essay on his discoveries, but it was turning into a major book. While Darwin sought information on the evolution of obscure plants and animals, public debate began over the upstart Thomas H. Huxley's (18251895) public challenge at the Royal Institute of Richard Owen's (18041892), who had just proposed the establishment of a new subclass for human, taxonomically isolating Homo sapiens well away from the other primates. This was in 1858. In February of that year, Wallace was on the island of Halmahera (then called "Gilolo") in the Moluccas and was bedridden from an attack of malaria. It was while he was ill and in a fever that he had an epiphany and drafted his own ideas on "the survival of the fittest" in a single evening. He worked sent a draft to Darwin, asking that if Darwin thought the ideas worthy, he would send the letter on to Lyell. Darwin got the letter and wrote immediately to Lyell: Some year or so ago, you recommended me to read a paper by Wallace in the Annals, which had interested you & as I was writing to him, I knew this would please him much, so I told him. He has to day sent me the enclosed & asked me to forward it to you. It seems to me well worth reading (Reveal, Bottino, and Delwiche). I
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Approximate Word count = 1393
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)