title: Heredity, development and evolution: the unmodern synthesis of E.S. Russell.
abstract: In 1930, while R.A. Fisher, J.B.S. Haldane, E.B. Ford and S.G. Wright were laying the foundations of what a decade later J.S. Huxley dubbed "Modern Synthesis", E.S. Russell published a groundbreaking work, The Interpretation of Development and Heredity. In this book Russell not only condemned Mendelian genetics and neo-Darwinism, but also proposed an alternative synthesis unifying heredity, development, and evolution. The book did not represent the work of a mind operating in isolation. Rather, it was a synthetic work connecting ideas and doctrines of many influential scientists working in Europe and the USA. Through the analysis of archival documents and rarely or never mentioned sources, this article provides an unconventional picture of Russell's theoretical biology. It will be shown that Russell was an international celebrity; he was at the centre of a large network of scholars who shared his ideas and insights. He was one of several biologists arguing for a different synthesis; a synthesis perhaps less visible, less institutionalised, and less 'modern', nevertheless with its influential advocates and international support. Finally, this study shows that Russell's synthesis was not rooted in the classic pantheon of towering figures in the history of biology, i.e. Darwin, Wallace, and Mendel, but was based on the teachings of Kant, Goethe, Cuvier, von Baer, and Müller.
authors: Institute of Philosophical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Circuito Mario de la Cueva, Ciudad Universitaria, Del. Coyoacán, 04510 Mexico D.F., Mexico. mauriespo@gmail.com
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Esposito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000266:history*; D005060:Europe; D005823:Genetics / Q000266:history*; D040941:Heredity; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012641:Selection, Genetic