Extreme Measures by Martin Brookes

Extreme Measures by Martin Brookes

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Summary

A biography of Sir Francis Galton, explorer, inventor, meteorologist, psychologist, statistician and eugenicist: an archetypal Victorian polymath, he is notorious as the fore-father of modern genetics. It examines his scientific legacy and takes us on a journey to the origins of modern human genetics.

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Extreme Measures by Martin Brookes

'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.
Martin Brookes is a science writer and biographer. He lives in Spain and the United States.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780747566663
ISBN 10 0747566666
Title Extreme Measures
Author Martin Brookes
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published 2004-07-19
Number of pages 320
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.