 The long historical scenario summarized in the present entry has sought to display the complexity of transformism in biology in the period prior to the advent of Darwinism. It was against this complex background that Darwin would develop his own theory on the origin and diversification of forms. He would draw in many ways on these pre-existing discussions in French and even German sources. Further exploration of this will be made in the entry  Darwin: From the Origin of Species to the Descent of Man.