as a child, charles was interested in agriculture, biology, and the human body. in his diary, he kept a record of his diet and exercise, specifically noting days in which his regimen was not sufficient. goethe's additional childhood interest in various plants and animals evolved as he pressed and catalogued his findings. his ideas concerning nature tied into his later views on eugenics, as he connected the evolution of nature to heredity. goethe explained in his memoir "seeking to serve" that his original interest in eugenics began as a child.