The Origin of Species · Character

Dr. Hooker

A botanist and trusted ally who sends Darwin Himalayan pines, reads his manuscripts, and lends the theory the credibility of a working field scientist.

supporting

Also known as Dr. Hooker, subsequently Dr. Hooker, Hooker

First appearance: i variation under domestication

As a supporting figure in The Origin of Species, Dr. Hooker is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Published Introduction to the Australian Flora in 1859, supporting descent and modification of species.

In the storyAn Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This WorkOpen this moment free

See Dr. Hooker in An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This Work Book page

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Hooker is Darwin's closest botanical correspondent, the friend whose Himalayan seed collections show that plants from different altitudes carry different constitutional powers of resisting cold. He is also the reader Darwin trusts to scrutinize his tables and tell him, even in stronger terms than Watson, where the difficulties lie. His presence turns the book from a solitary speculation into a shared enterprise, and his permission to cite his judgment gives the argument a quiet authority.

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See Dr. Hooker in i variation under domestication

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Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Dr. Hooker appears across 17 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This Work
Published Introduction to the Australian Flora in 1859, supporting descent and modification of species.
Unconscious Selection
Not directly mentioned in this chapter excerpt; included as a placeholder for potential future check-ins.
II: Variation Under Nature
Reviewed Darwin's manuscript and tables; confirmed that wide-ranging species vary most.
Wide-Ranging, Much Diffused, and Common Species Vary Most
Confirmed the difficulties of the task and endorsed the conclusions after reviewing the manuscript and tables.
Natural Selection; or the Survival of the Fittest
Cited alongside Asa Gray for the remark that man does not directly produce variability but only preserves and accumulates it.
Illustrations of the Action of Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest
Mentioned in the context of the North British Review article and general support for Darwin's ideas.
Convergence of Character
Hooker recently showed that in southeast Australia, invasive species have reduced endemic Australian species.
Acclimatisation
Provided evidence of pines and rhododendrons from different Himalayan altitudes showing varying cold resistance.
Correlated Variation
Provided information about Umbelliferae, noting that species with densest heads do not most frequently differ in inner and outer flowers.
VII: Miscellaneous Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection
Hooker is cited regarding the fertilization of ovules in relation to their position within the ovarium.
Means of Dispersal
Implied as a collaborator in experiments on seed resistance to seawater.
Alternate Glacial Periods in the North and South
Cited for observations on identical species in America and Australia, on moraines in the Atlas range and Sikkim, and on Australian forms naturalizing in the Neilgherrie Mountains.
Geographical Distribution—Continued
Referenced for showing that in the Galapagos Islands the proportional numbers of plant orders differ from elsewhere.
Freshwater Productions
Mentioned in relation to Audubon's observation of Nelumbium seeds in a heron's stomach.
On the Inhabitants of Oceanic Islands
Referenced for showing that in the Galapagos Islands the proportional numbers of different plant orders differ from elsewhere.
On the Relations of the Inhabitants of Islands to Those of the Nearest Mainland
Cited for his Flora of the Galapagos Archipelago and for insights on plant affinities in New Zealand and Kerguelen Land.
On the Nature of the Affinities Connecting Organic Beings
Darwin cites Dr. Hooker's observation that Australia added only two or three small families of plants, illustrating the limited number of higher groups.

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See Dr. Hooker in i variation under domestication

See Dr. Hooker in An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This Work