Charles Waring Darwin
Encyclopedia
Charles Waring Darwin, who died when he was 18 months old (6 December 1856 – 28 June 1858), was the last of the children of Charles Darwin
and Emma Darwin
, their tenth child and sixth son. He was born and died at the family home of Down House
in Kent
.
It was noted by Henrietta, in her biography of her mother, that the child was born "without the full share of intelligence". Darwin noted that even though "he was backward in talking & walking" he was nevertheless "intelligent & observant". These descriptions of his development, combined with his mother's advanced age at the time of his birth are consistent with Down's syndrome.
Darwin already feared that the consanguinity
of his and Emma's lineage — she was his first cousin — had contributed to his children's constitutional weakness, a fear that would find its expression in The Origin of Species
in which Darwin rails against the "evil" effects of inbreeding and lauds the good effects of crossing.
Charles Waring succumbed to scarlet fever
and died at the age of about 18 months. Darwin wrote in his personal 'journal', "June 28 Poor dear Baby died."
The baby's illness and early death kept Darwin from attending the first publication of Darwin's theory
at the joint reading of papers by Alfred Russel Wallace
and himself titled On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection at the meeting of the Linnean Society
on 1 July 1858.
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
and Emma Darwin
Emma Darwin
Emma Darwin was the wife and first cousin of Charles Darwin, the English naturalist, scientist and author of On the Origin of Species...
, their tenth child and sixth son. He was born and died at the family home of Down House
Down House
Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theories of evolution by natural selection which he had conceived in London before moving to Downe....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
It was noted by Henrietta, in her biography of her mother, that the child was born "without the full share of intelligence". Darwin noted that even though "he was backward in talking & walking" he was nevertheless "intelligent & observant". These descriptions of his development, combined with his mother's advanced age at the time of his birth are consistent with Down's syndrome.
Darwin already feared that the consanguinity
Consanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
of his and Emma's lineage — she was his first cousin — had contributed to his children's constitutional weakness, a fear that would find its expression in The Origin of Species
The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the...
in which Darwin rails against the "evil" effects of inbreeding and lauds the good effects of crossing.
Charles Waring succumbed to scarlet fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
and died at the age of about 18 months. Darwin wrote in his personal 'journal', "June 28 Poor dear Baby died."
The baby's illness and early death kept Darwin from attending the first publication of Darwin's theory
Publication of Darwin's theory
The publication of Darwin's theory brought into the open Charles Darwin's ideas of evolution through natural selection, the culmination of more than twenty years of work....
at the joint reading of papers by Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
and himself titled On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection at the meeting of the Linnean Society
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
on 1 July 1858.