
Extreme Measures
The dark visions and bright ideas of Francis Galton
Martin Brookes(Author)
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
1st Edition
Published on 19. July 2004
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-7475-6666-3 (ISBN)
Description
'Count wherever you can' was the motto of Sir Francis Galton's extraordinary life. His measuring mind left its mark all over the scientific landscape. Explorer, inventor, meteorologist, psychologist, anthropologist and statistician, Galton was one of the great Victorian polymaths. But it was in the fledgling field of genetics where he made his most indelible impression. Galton kick-started the enduring nature/nurture debate, and took hereditary determinism to its darkest extreme. Consumed by his eugenic vision, he dreamed of a future society built on a race of pure-breeding supermen. Plagued by illness and poor mental health, Galton often let his obsessions run away with him. He turned tea-making into a theoretical science, counted the brush strokes on his portrait, and created a beauty map of the British Isles, ranking its cities on the basis of their feminine allure. Through the story of Galton's colourful life Martin Brookes examines his scientific legacy and takes us on a fascinating journey to the origins of modern human genetics.
More details
Edition
1., Aufl.
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Illustrations, ports.
Dimensions
Height: 21.6 cm
Width: 13.5 cm
ISBN-13
978-0-7475-6666-3 (9780747566663)
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Martin Brookes is a science writer and biographer. He lives in Spain and the United States.