Treasure Your Exceptions

This biography provides an understanding of William Bateson as well as a reconciliation of diverging views (e.g. the hierarchical thinking of Gould and the genocentrism of George Williams and Richard Dawkins). Evolutionists may thus, at long last, present a unified front to their creationist opponents. The pressing need for this text is apparent from the high percentages reported not to believe in evolution and the growth of the so-called 'intelligent design' movement.

Alan Cock (1926-2005) was a son-in-law of a colleague of Tschermak, one of the botanist 'rediscoverers' of Mendel. His undergraduate studies in Zoology at Cambridge led to work with Michael Pease (1947-57) at the Agricultural Research Council Poultry Genetics Unit. Since Pease had himself assisted Punnett, who was Bateson's main assistant, then Alan can be seen as Bateson's 'scientific great grandson.' After doctoral work in Genetics (Edinburgh 1962), he became lecturer in Zoology at the University of Southampton. In the early, pre-history, phase of his career, his work with Morten Simonsen provided a fundamental understanding of the graft-versus-host reaction (Immunology 1958 1, 103-110). In the 1960s he and Stephen Jay Gould were leaders in studies of animal growth and form (allometry; Q. Rev. Biol. 1966 41, 131-190). In the 1970s he repatriated, curated and catalogued the papers of William Bateson, and wrote several important papers on, and initiated a definitive biography of, Bateson (later coauthored with Forsdyke). He corresponded and/or collaborated with many important mid-late-20th century figures. 

Donald Forsdyke was born in London, UK (1938), and has degrees in Medicine (St. Mary's Hospital Medical School) and in Biochemistry (Ph.D, Cambridge University). He has engaged in research and teaching at the Department of Biochemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, since 1968. His research includes the concept and mechanism of positive selection of lymphocyte repertoires, discovery of the lectin pathway of complement activation, identification of lymphocyte activation genes, bioinformatic analyses of DNA sequences relating to introns and speciation, and biohistory with special reference to evolutionary biology and the roles of George Romanes, William Bateson and Samuel Butler. His interest in history derives from a belief that understanding how science has progressed in the past will aid its progress in the future.