Darwin's "Natural Science of Babies" (summary)

Darwin's "Natural Science of Babies"

Lorch, M., & Hellal, P. (2010). Darwin’s “Natural Science of Babies.” Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 19(2), 140–157

Darwin's "Natural Science of Babies" is believed to be one of the first empirical studies of child development, written by an English author, and was probably prompted by Hippolyte Taine's diary account on early childhood language acquisition. Taine's account of his daughter's language acquisition was originally published in French, but was later translated into English and published in Mind, a newly founded British journal of psychology and philosophy. In his article, Taine recorded his daughter's progression in language acquisition, but used very vague notations on timing. Seeing this article in Mind prompted Dawrin to look into his own diary of his own children's development.

In 1838, Darwin began recording his notes on the possible role of habit, will, memory, and learning on childhood development, and included questions and reflections on children, language, and the development of behaviour. This included observations of behaviours such as winking, nodding, and frowning, both of his own 10 children, and also those of friends and family. His observations continued over the years and began to include more complex ideas, such as social interactions, reflex actions, and emotions. His notebooks end at the death of his last child, Charles Waring, in 1856.

It wasn't until more than a decade later, that Darwin's observations on child development were published in print. This was because Darwin was feared bad public reception of his work. Darwin's "Biological Sketch of an Infant," which studies the development of William Erasmus, one of Darwin's sons, had a lasting influence in the field of child development. It was published in journals of the London intellectual community and also in major National newspapers.

Darwin's "Biological Sketch of an Infant" was brought up during a scandal in Britain in 1877, about abortion and child poverty. The scandal was mainly about access to birth control and limiting population growth through those means. Darwin's theories were used on both sides of the argument regarding "baby farming," or killing of unwanted children after birth. Thus, Darwin's scientific publication coincided with a great debate about the value of children in British society.

The article was edited to include only information about Darwin's first child, William. It is a combination of ideas and a direct response to Taine's earlier article. His observations of his son's behaviour were comparable to those of animals, and his records were kept systematically and with great quantitative detail, contrary to those of Taine. Darwin's hope that other would follow his lead in studying child development, and soon after, various other articles on the subject were published in Mind. Later on, articles on child development began to appear in magazines intended for the general public.

In response to Emily Talbot's report on "Infant Education," Darwin wrote a letter, expressing his interest in her work. In these letters, he included pragmatic proposals for the future of research in child development, including whether parents' education influences a child's mental powers at any age. He also expressed curiosity in the pitch of children's voices and how they relate to frames of mind. Nearly 100 years later, Darwin's research proposals are still being pursued.