An Interactive Annotated World Bibliography of Printed and Digital Works in the History of Medicine and the Life Sciences from Circa 2000 BCE to 2022 by Fielding H. Garrison (1870-1935), Leslie T. Morton (1907-2004), and Jeremy M. Norman (1945- ) Traditionally Known as “Garrison-Morton”

15961 entries, 13944 authors and 1935 subjects. Updated: March 22, 2024

GOSSE, Philip Henry

2 entries
  • 11806

Omphalos: An attempt to untie the geological knot.

London: John van Voorst, 1857.

In Omphalos, published in 1857, two years before the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Gosse attempted to reconcile the paleontological record with creationist religious beliefs by arguing that the fossil record was not evidence of evolution, but an act of creation by God to make the world appear older than it actually is. This tautology parallels how Gosse chose to explain why Adam, who could have had no mother, had a navel: Though Adam would have had no need of a navel, God gave him one anyway to give him the appearance of having human ancestry. Following this argument, the title of Gosse's book, Omphalos, means "navel" in Greek.

Digital facsimile from Biodiversity Heritage Library at this link.



Subjects: EVOLUTION, RELIGION & Medicine & the Life Sciences
  • 11805

Actinologia Britannica. A history of the British sea-anemones and corals. With coloured figures of the species and principal varieties.

London: van Voorst, 1860.

Digital facsimile from Biodiversity Heritage Library at this link.



Subjects: BIOLOGY › Marine Biology, ZOOLOGY › Anthozoology, ZOOLOGY › Illustration