HF02-13 THE EVOLUTION OF SEX, OR THE SEXUAL ASPECTS OF CHARLES AND EMMA DARWIN

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum II (HF02)1 Sep 2021HF02-13 THE EVOLUTION OF SEX, OR THE SEXUAL ASPECTS OF CHARLES AND EMMA DARWIN Keiko Cooley, and Michael Moran Keiko CooleyKeiko Cooley More articles by this author , and Michael MoranMichael Moran More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001993.13AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) is perhaps one of the most iconic scientists of all time, clearly in relationship to his sensational On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection published on November 24, 1859. But he subsequently published another startling book entitled The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex on February 24, 1871. We are interested in the history and actual sexual exploits of Darwin and his wife/first cousin Emma Wedgewood Darwin and his sexual notions entertained in this evolutionary biology book. METHODS: The Descent was scrutinized as were many biographical as well as autobiographical writings of Darwin and his sons and daughters. In addition, secondary literature that focused upon the The Descent as well as the Darwin home life were also critically scrutinized. RESULTS: It is not widely known that during his writing of this textbook and the development of his ideas, he recruited his daughter Henrietta as well as his beloved wife Emma for their advice. The figures in this textbook were drawn by zoological illustrator T. W. Wood and the publisher John Murray correctly expected the sales to be brisk. “Everybody is talking about it without being shocked…proof of the increasing liberality of England.” At the outset of his daring book Darwin states, “The sole object of this work is to consider, firstly, whether man, like every other species, is descended from some pre-existing form; secondly, the manner of his development; and thirdly, the value of the differences between the so-called races of man.” CONCLUSIONS: Charles recorded on November 27, 1838 in what is now called Notebook N, “Sexual desire makes saliva to flow ‘yes, certainly’- curious to kiss, & almost bite, that which one sexually loves, is probably connected with flow of saliva, & hence with action of mouth & jaws…The association of saliva, is probably due to our distant ancestors having been like dogs to bitches. How comes such an association in man- it is bare fact, on my theory intelligible.” Charles proposed to Emma on Sunday November 11, 1838 and they were married on January 29, 1839. Emma was pregnant by the following April and during the subsequent 18 years she was pregnant a total of 11 more times (Emma was pregnant 55% of those 18 years). Now Morrison uses some sophisticated notions on pregnancy to state, “All of the above data lead me to the conclusion that most, if not all, of the pregnancies were the result of more-or-less continuously ongoing sexual activity, rather than being the result of deliberate attempts to conceive, or being incidental by-products of celebratory activity. That is, the pregnancies occurred as chance dictated, given the night-time activities being undertaken.” Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e241-e241 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Keiko Cooley More articles by this author Michael Moran More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...