The Cuvier-Geoffroy Debate

• A classic confrontation and its interpretations; Cuvier and Geoffroy: Collaborators on a new science; "Le legislateur de la science" Cuvier and functionalist anatomy; Geoffroy and the emergence of philosophical anatomy; The battle lines are drawn: 1820-1829; The debate before the academie; Beyond the academie: The many uses of the debate; Teleology, morphology, and evolution: The debate and the future of zoology.

'Appel has illuminated brilliantly the French intellectual scene in the 19th century...Under consideration are not only biological aspects of the debate, but also its religious, social and polical backgrounds, and its later influence on evolutionary theory and other modalities of culture and intellect....This beautifully organized, elegantly written book, based on sound research, is recommended strongly to readers interested in the forms and functions of the organism that is science.' The Scientist