Hewett Watson

Hewett Cottrell Watson ( born April 9, 1804 in Firbeck, England; † July 27, 1881 in Thames Ditton, England) was a botanist, physician and phrenologist; be botanical author abbreviation is " HCWatson ". He also studied at the same time Charles Darwin evolution.

Family

He was the firstborn son of his mother, Harriet, daughter of Richard Powell of Heaton Norris (near Stockport, England) and his father Holland Watson, justices of the peace and mayor of Congleton in Cheshire, in which they move, 1810. He had seven older sisters and two younger brothers. In Congleton he first visited the school, where he had the reputation of a fool. He attended school in Alderley, Cheshire, on this school he met his Rector Edward Stanley know that in his later life was Bishop of Norwich. This encouraged him to Botany and supported him. During his time in Alderley he was classmate of Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, the son of the rector, who later became a Dean of Westminster was. As a teenager, he suffered while playing cricket so strong a knee injury that made ​​it impossible for him to enter the army. In addition, his mother, who had drawn his attention to botany, died when he was fifteen and he had to from there with his conservative father together with whom he had a terrible relationship. After school, in 1821, he began working at a Liverpool lawyer. However, he was not interested in the law, but his interest of phrenology. He therefore decided to study ( 1828-1832 ) medicine and natural history at the University of Edinburgh. As a student he was 1831-2 Senior President of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh, but he had to stop the study not finish because of his health. Addition of phrenology, he devoted himself to ornithology, entomology and botany. During this time he inherited from his mother a kindred an estate in Derbyshire. In Edinburgh, he became friends with the botanist Robert Graham, who encouraged his interest in biogeography, and with the phrenologist George Combe. In 1829 he joined the Edinburgh Phrenological Society. In 1831 he won a botanical competition, by an essay on the geographical distribution of plants. After 1833 he lived for several months with a friend near Barnstaple, he bought a small house in Thames Ditton, Surrey, in which he spent the rest of his life. In 1842 he opened his own expense with the Styx, which sailed under the command of Captain Vidal, a trip to the largest four Azores islands of which he brought with him some new plants. He spent three months on the Azores and described out native plants such as the Azores Bellflower. Although he already had a reputation as a geographical botanist, he applied unsuccessfully for a chair in the newly founded Queen's collage in Dublin. He died at his home on July 27, 1881.

Personality

Watson is described by intellectual brilliance and an often difficult and quarrelsome character. He led an isolated life and bordered off. He has neither married nor occupied a senior academic posts. He traveled only once outside the UK, namely the Azores. He was a polemicist and wrote often sharper than he intended ( cf. Journal of Botany, 1881, p 80). In addition, he was a politician and an uncompromising Democrat, he published in 1848 a pamphlet on self-determination as the most important public question.

Evolutionary theorists

Initiated by his friend Robert Chambers he gathered evidence of the transmutation of species and defended this also. He corresponded with Charles Darwin, who lived in Downe, about 20 km from Thames Ditton. Watson helped Darwin with his unique understanding of the distribution of British plants. In 1856 he was personally invited by Darwin and Joseph Hooker to discuss the theory of evolution because he was too busy and did not like to travel, he canceled. Nevertheless, Charles Darwin made ​​in " On the Origin of Species" generous recognition of Watson as an extremely important source of scientific information. So Watson was also one of the first, when he congratulated Charles Darwin on 21 November 1859 his work.

Works

As the editor:

• Statistics of Phrenology; being a Sketch of the Progress and Present State of Science in the British Islands did
• An Examination of Mr. Scott's attack upon Mr. George Combe
• The Journal: The Phrenological Journal ( 1837-1840 )
• The catalog: The London Catalogue of British Plants from ( 1844-1874 )

The botanical part by:

• Natural History of the Archipelago

Heavily involved in:

• London Catalogue of British Plants

Own works:

• Cybele Britannica (1847 )

• Public Opinion, or safe revolution through self -representation (1848 )
• Compendium of the Cybele Britannica (1870 )

• Supplement (1872 )

• Topographic Botany ( 1873-4 )