History of biology

1. The Greek philosophers, voracious in their curiosity, look with interest at the range of
living creatures, from the humblest plant to man himself. A Greek name is coined by a
German naturalist in the early 19th century for this study of all physical aspects of natural
life - biology, from bios (life) and logos (word or discourse). It is a subject with clear
subdivisions, such as botany, zoology or anatomy. But all are concerned with living
organisms.

The first man to make a significant contribution in biology is Alcmaeon, living in Crotona
in the 5th century. Crotona is famous at the time for its Pythagorean scholars, but Alcmaeon
seems not to have been of their school.

Alcmaeon is the first scientist known to have practised dissection in his researches. His
aim is not anatomical, for his interest lies in trying to find the whereabouts of human
intelligence. But in the course of his researches he makes the first scientific discoveries in
the field of anatomy.
The subsequent Greek theory, subscribed to even by Aristotle, is that the heart is the
seat of intelligence. Alcmaeon reasons that since a blow to the head can affect the mind, in
concussion, this must be where reason lies. In dissecting corpses to pursue this idea, he
observes passages linking the brain with the eyes (the optic nerves) and the back of the
mouth with the ears (Eustachian tubes).
Aristotle may be wrong about the brain being in the heart, but in general he gives a far more
complete and well observed account of biology than any other Greek philosopher.
He inaugurates scientific zoology in his reliance on careful observation. He is particularly
acute in his study of marine life, having much to say on the habits of fishes, the
development of the octopus family, and the nature of whales, dolphins and porpoises. He is
also a pioneer in attempting a system of classification. Observing an unbroken chain of
gradual developments, as the life of plants shades into that of animals, he acknowledges the
complexity of the subject and seems almost to glimpse the pattern of evolution.
Aristotle's notes on botany are lost, but many of his observations no doubt survive in the
earliest known botanical text - nine books On the History of Plants written by Aristotle's
favourite pupil, Theophrastus.
Writing in about 300 BC, Theophrastus attempts to classify plants, as well as describing their
structure, habits and uses. His remarks are based on observations carried out in Greece, but
he also includes information brought back from the new Hellenistic empire in the Middle
East, Persia and India, resulting from the conquests of Alexander the Great.