Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 676.5

EDWARD TYSON (1650-1708) Orang-outang, sive, Homo sylvestris, or, The anatomy of a pygmie compared with that of a monkey, an ape, and a man : to which is added, A philological essay concerning the pygmies, the cynocephali, the satyrs and sphinges of the ancients : wherein it will appear that they are all either apes or monkeys, and not men, as formerly pretended. Printed for Thomas Bennet… and Daniel Brown… and are to be had of Mr. Hunt 1699 1st edition. 2 pts. ([10], 108, [1], 58 p., [11] leaves of plates (some folded)) : ill. 28 cm.

According to PMM, this is ‘the earliest important study in comparative morphology,’ and Garrison-Morton calls it ‘the first really important work’ in that field, adding that ‘Tyson originated the ‘missing link’ idea.’ The term used by Tyson is actually ‘the great chain of being,’ and he observes that ‘from Minerals, to Plants; from Plants, to Animals; and from Animals, to Men; the Transition is so gradual, that there appears a very great Similitude.’ Until Tyson’s writings, the study of comparative anatomy had been languishing since antiquity. In the creature, obtained from African Angola, that he calls an orang-outang, and that we would today identify as a chimpanzee, Tyson identifies what stands closest in the chain to its culmination in the human being. Tyson was the first to dissect a chimpanzee, his purpose being to show the great similarity between the anatomy of man and ape; his painstaking report of the dissection in our volume does this very thoroughly and very well. According to Norman, ‘Tyson’s anatomical study – the first conducted of a great ape – had a powerful influence on all subsequent thought on man’s place in nature.’ While not anticipating the conclusion reached by Darwin in “The Descent of Man,” Tyson nevertheless deftly exposes the premises for Darwin’s conclusions and PMM declares that ‘his work contributed substantially’ to the formulation of the theory of evolution. Included with ‘Orang-Outang’ is a separately paginated treatise, “A Philosophical Essay Concerning Pygmies, the Cynocephali, the Satyrs and Spinges of the Ancients, Wherein it will appear that they were all either Apes or Monkeys; and not Men, as formerly pretended.” Norman calls this second portion ‘an early and major contribution to the study of primate-oriented folklore.’ The physician Edward Tyson studied at both Oxford and Cambridge. He lectured on anatomy to the Barber-Surgeons, who, after his death, hung his portrait in their parlor. Tyson published other works describing his anatomical researches, including one on the porpoise and another on an opossum obtained from Virginia. The provenance here is of considerable interest. William Musgrave (ca. 1655?-1721) was an antiquary and physician, described by DNB as ‘one of the little set of enthusiasts who in the autumn of 1685 formed themselves into a scientific body at Oxford, [where] for some years [Musgrave] practiced.’ In 1685 he served as secretary of the Royal Society. The author of several books on arthritis and a four-volume work on Roman Britain, Musgrave latter practiced in Exeter.

See Related Record(s): 694 695 1724 1725 1726 1727 1728

Cited references: Garrison & Morton #153; Waller # 9727; Osler # 4139; NLM 17th c. #12028

John Martin M.D. Endowment