Erasmus Darwin

Erasmus Darwin FRS
Erasmus Darwin c. 1792–1793, oil painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Born	Erasmus Robert Darwin (1731-12-12)12 December 1731 Elston Hall, Elston, Nottinghamshire near Newark-on-Trent, England
Died	18 April 1802(1802-04-18) (aged 70) Breadsall, Derbyshire, England
Resting place	All Saints Church, Breadsall
Alma mater	St John's College, Cambridge University of Edinburgh Medical School
Children	14
Parents	Robert Darwin of Elston Elizabeth Hill
Relatives	See Darwin–Wedgwood family

Erasmus Robert Darwin FRS^[1] (12 December 1731 – 18 April 1802) was an English physician. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave-trade abolitionist, inventor, freemason, and poet.

His poems included much natural history, including a statement of evolution and the relatedness of all forms of life.

He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family, which includes his grandsons Charles Darwin and Francis Galton. Darwin was a founding member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, a discussion group of pioneering industrialists and natural philosophers.

He turned down an invitation from George III to become Physician to the King.