title: Alfred Russel Wallace deserves better.
abstract: During 2009, while we were celebrating Charles Darwin and his The origin of species, sadly, little was said about the critical contribution of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) to the development of the theory of evolution. Like Darwin, he was a truly remarkable nineteenth century intellect and polymath and, according to a recent book by Roy Davies (The Darwin conspiracy: origins of a scientific crime), he has a stronger claim to the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection than has Darwin. Here we present a critical comparison between the contributions of the two scientists. Sometimes referred to as 'The other beetle-hunter' and largely neglected for many decades, Wallace had a far greater experience of collecting and investigating animals and plants from their native habitats than had Darwin. He was furthermore much more than a pioneer biogeographer and evolutionary theorist, and also made contributions to anthropology, ethnography, geology, land reform and social issues. However, being a more modest, self-deprecating man than Darwin, and lacking the latter's establishment connections, Wallace's contribution to the theory of evolution was not given the recognition it deserved and he was undoubtedly shabbily treated at the time. It is time that Wallace's relationship with Darwin is reconsidered in preparation for 2013, the centenary of Wallace's death, and he should be recognized as at least an equal in the Wallace-Darwin theory of evolution.
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences (Microbiology), Cardiff University, Main Building, Museum Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3AT, Wales, UK. lloydd@cf.ac.uk
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wimpenny
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venables
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D049672:History, 19th Century; D008373:Manuscripts as Topic; D058974:Phylogeography / Q000266:history*; D012641:Selection, Genetic
references.citation: J Biosci. 2009 Jun;34(2):173-83
references.pmid: 19550032