: His infant son, Charles Waring Darwin , died of scarlet fever during the very week he was grappling with Wallace's manuscript.

: Darwin feared his theory would devastate his wife, Emma, a devout Christian who believed his ideas might separate them in the afterlife. The Resolution

Prompted by his colleagues and Joseph Dalton Hooker , Darwin agreed to a joint presentation of both his and Wallace’s papers at the Linnean Society on July 1, 1858. This compromise allowed him to retain his priority while acknowledging Wallace's contribution. Galvanized by the crisis, Darwin spent the next year condensing his "big book" into what became On the Origin of Species , published in 1859. Media Depiction REVIEW: “Darwin's Darkest Hour” on PBS's NOVA

This professional threat hit Darwin during a time of intense family suffering:

Darwin's Darkest Hour -

: His infant son, Charles Waring Darwin , died of scarlet fever during the very week he was grappling with Wallace's manuscript.

: Darwin feared his theory would devastate his wife, Emma, a devout Christian who believed his ideas might separate them in the afterlife. The Resolution

Prompted by his colleagues and Joseph Dalton Hooker , Darwin agreed to a joint presentation of both his and Wallace’s papers at the Linnean Society on July 1, 1858. This compromise allowed him to retain his priority while acknowledging Wallace's contribution. Galvanized by the crisis, Darwin spent the next year condensing his "big book" into what became On the Origin of Species , published in 1859. Media Depiction REVIEW: “Darwin's Darkest Hour” on PBS's NOVA

This professional threat hit Darwin during a time of intense family suffering: