In reality, Big Data analysis newly revealed in 2014 that Matthew's orignal ideas were read by at least 25 individuals, because they cited it in the published literature! Moreover, 19 of those who read it were in Darwin's inner social circle! Of the seven naturalists now newly known to have cited Matthew's book in print pre-1858, three played pivotal roles at the epicentre of Darwin's and Wallace’s published and unpublished work on natural selection before the ‘Origin of Species’ was first published in 1859.
In the picture below are some of the seven citing naturalists. Pictured are John Loudon, - Prideaux John Selby, - Robert Chambers and William Jameson of the East India Company.
The Patrick Matthew Puzzle question is: "Why is the extremely famous and influential naturalist Sir William Jardine also featured in this picture?"
Four of the Citing Seven Naturalists and Sir William Jardine. Why is Jardine in this picture? |