If you opine America is unpopular in the world now , hear to some of the stuff they tell about the rural area ( and continent ) in the former 1700s . European scientist come up with the “ Theory of Degeneracy ” to explain how fearful America was .
Georges - Louis Leclerc was a naturalist , and quite a serious one . He guided many of the big name in science , include Jean - Baptiste Lamarck and Charles Darwin . A prolific writer , he bring forth book after intensity of employment on brute , plants , and minerals — and how they all act upon each other . Leclerc was one of the first scientist to take a serious look at how the surround shaped plant life and animals .
He believe that the clime of the United States had a heavy effect on the brute , plants , and inhabitants of the Americas . It ’s sluttish to evidence what effect he thought that was — he call his idea “ The Theory of Degeneracy . ” In the mind of Leclerc , and of other European naturalists , America ’s sky was “ nigardly , ” and its land was “ unprolific . ” The water , accord to one of Leclerc ’s academic colleague , was “ last - dealing . ” The intact compounding made the living inhabitant of America stunt , infertile , and puny .
Not everything shrunk down . Theory of Degeneracy supporters were quick to talk about how all the animals and plants they liked were skanky and small , but the brute they disliked were huge . Insects were giant . reptilian were vast . One scientist think that Louisiana had thirty - seven pound frogs .
Most of these naturalist maintained these ideas , despite the fact that they had never visited the United States — although it ’s hard to fault them , considering the fact that they thought they might fall into destruction - dealing water and get eaten by forty Lebanese pound frogs . Their insistence annoyed Americans , but the vexation of Americans did n’t change much . It was only when scientist moved more freely between continents that the Theory of Degeneracy fell off — or at least got new justification .
[ seed : Rain , by Cynthia Barnett ]
Science
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