Constantine Samuel Rafinesque: A Voice in the American Wilderness by Leonard Warren

Comprehensive and balanced biography of American naturalism’s genius/quack

Born in Constantinople to French and German parents, Constantine Rafinesque (1783-1840) emigrated to the U.S. in 1815 and commenced walking thousands of miles over the countryside collecting myriad plant and animal specimens and publishing thousands of articles and books on his findings. An autodidact in a staggering array of fields, Rafinesque once described himself as a “Botanist, Naturalist, Geologist, Geographer, Historian, Poet, Philosopher, Philologist, Economist, Philanthropist . . . Traveller, Merchant, Manufacturer, Collector, Improver, Professor, Teacher, Surveyor, Draftsman, Architect, Engineer, Pulmist [a respiratory therapist specializing in tuberculosis], Author, Editor, Bookseller, Librarian, Secretary.” In his 2004 book Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, author Leonard Warren provides an excellent biography of this fascinating figure whom Botanist and historian Joseph Ewan once referred to as “the most enigmatic and controversial figure in American Natural History.”

Given the spectrum of fields in which Rafinesque dabbled, it’s not surprising his critics would accuse him of being a jack of all trades, master of none. Rafinesque undoubtedly made important contributions to natural science. Pick up any field guide of American birds, fish, or plants, and you are bound to find several instances of his name. His genius, however, was accompanied by rashness, arrogance, and gullibility. He became notorious for inventing species, wreaking havoc on established taxonomy, and passing off unfounded legend as history. For example, Rafinesque can claim credit for the first baby steps toward deciphering Mayan hieroglyphs, yet he also asserted with certainty that the Maya came from Atlantis. During his lifetime, Rafinesque was frequently attacked and ostracized by the American scientific community, but since his death his reputation has been gradually rehabilitated as his important discoveries have been recognized.

I had previously read T. J. Fitzpatrick’s 1911 biography of Rafinesque as well as Rafinesque’s 1836 autobiography A Life of Travels and Researches in North America and South Europe. Those books both served as major sources for this study, but Warren really delves deeply into Rafinesque’s correspondence and immense body of published writings to flesh out the biography with a wealth of detail. Though Warren clearly admires Rafinesque, he provides a very balanced assessment of the man, praising his bona fide discoveries while frankly examining the failures and absurdities in his published research. Rafinesque did a great deal of intellectual sparring with his scientific contemporaries, many of whom accused him of inaccuracies, errors, and fabrications. Warren examines these arguments from both sides, judiciously weighing the testimony of Rafinesque and his detractors. Warren also does an exceptional job of describing the state of various scholarly disciplines and the academic climate in America in the early 19th century. This helps the reader gain a better understanding of what Rafinesque legitimately accomplished, where he pushed the envelope (sometimes too far), and the reactions and effects his actions produced.

Warren covers Rafinesque’s entire life from cradle to grave, analyzes his impact on all the different fields he engaged in, and provides a colorful and nuanced portrait of the man’s personality and eccentricities. Warren’s prose is lively and accessible to the general reader. He has conducted his research with academic rigor, but one doesn’t need a PhD in biology to understand or enjoy this book. Although I had done previous reading on Rafinesque, I learned much from Warren’s fascinating and engaging narrative. Rafinesque may never get the respect he deserves, but thanks to Warren he has the biography he deserves.
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