> SJ: Wilcox points out that common descent was already widely accepted in
> the scientific world *before* Darwin:
>
> Indeed. Evolution as a fact was already known before Darwin. Darwin merely
> provided the mechanisms to explain the facts in a scientific manner.
>
After you are both thus convinced that common descent was widely held by
most scientists before Darwin, could you give me the exact references?
I ever thought it was Darwin who brought the scientific community to drop
the belief the constancy of species or a little higher category.
Oliver