The whole of modern biology has been called ‘ a commentary on the Origin of Species ’
(Charles Singer, 1949). In a sense this is true. Following the endeavours to trace the natural histories of the various living organisms, attempts are still in progress
to determine the modes, patterns and directive forces of evolution. The end of the 19th
and the first quarter of the 20th centuries were characterized by morphological studies in
comparative anatomy, the rise of geology and the birth of genetics. The second quarter
of this century has witnessed a phenomenal expansion in technical advances leading to
critical appraisals of previous concepts and to maturation of new, revolutionary theories
based upon seemingly disconnected disciplines-experimental embryology, genetics,
physkal anthropology, palaeontology and geology. One of the unacclaimed causes of the
correlation of knowledge is the post-war mastery of air travel. The spectacular rise of
the ' basic ' biological sciences due to emergent industrial and atomic competitive needs
in an era of socio-economic enlightenment is another factor giving rise to the pursuit of
such knowledge. In a general sense this is the end of a Darwinian ' cycle ' ; the favourable
socio-political situation of the 19th century formed the ' overture ' to the Darwinian
theory. Act One saw the development, championing and triumphs of the intellectual
interpretations of ' Darwinists '. In Act Two the weaknesses and the vital issues of the
application of the theory to various living forms and particularly to Homo sapims were
exposed, mainly through the clashes of ' neo-Darwinists ' and ' neo-Lamarckists '. This
led to Act Three in which the various sciences (and especially genetics), competing to
illustrate and develop alternative theories of evolution, blossomed out, particularly in their
search for the mechanisms of the evolutionary processes. In the final scene of this Act
the socio-political situation once again formed an important background as the diverse
disciplines combine tq unify concepts, and, in fact, to prove evolution.