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C. D. Darlington

From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.

Cover of the biography of Darlington The Man Who Invented the Chromosome (see refs).

Cyril Dean Darlington (19 December 1903 - 26 March 1981) was a British geneticist who discovered the mechanics of chromosome recombination and noting its importance in evolution.

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Biography

Darlington was born in Chorley, Lancashire. He graduated from Wye College with a London University degree in 1923. In that same year he entered the John Innes Horticultural Institution in Merton. Having initally entered as a voluntary unpaid worker his remarkable determination saw him become Director of the cytology department in 1939. He pioneered the study of chromosomes through the study of plant genetics.

Darlington was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 20 March 1941. He left the institute in 1953 and accepted the Sherardian Proffessorship of botany at Oxford University. He developed a keen intreest in the Botanic Garden, going on to establish the 'Genetic Garden'. He was also involved in extending the teaching of science especially genetics in the university. Darlington retired fron his official position in 1971, but remained in the university, tirelessly writing and publishing his work.

Over the course of twenty five years, from 1953-1978, Darlington completed his trilogy on Man. The trilogy consisted of, Genetics and Man (1953), The Evolution of Man and Society (1969) and finally The Little Universe of Man (1978). He has also published a wide variety of scientific papers. Darlingtons views were sometimes contraversial as he was known to make herediterian and racial pronouncements and believed strongly in 'human intellectual inequality'. With another British biologist Ronald Fisher Darlington established the journal Heredity.

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