Erasmus Darwin

From EvoWiki

Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), was a leading English naturalist, poet, inventor and physician, as well as the grandfather of Charles Darwin. In 1794 he published his book Zoonomia; or the Laws of Organic Life, which was one of the first attempts to formulate a comprehensive theory of evolution. Although his ideas were largely Lamarckist, and he had no knowledge of natural selection, he often hinted at the struggle for survival and suggested sexual selection.