1860-1906

English biologist and statistician recognized as one of the founders of biometrics. Welson used statistical methods to test Darwinian ideas, and published a number of classic papers on the statistical variation of various characteristics in natural populations. His study of the death rates in crabs (1894) argued that natural selection could take place for small variations, and started a debate between those who saw natural selection as occurring in big, discontinuous steps (Mendelians), and supporters of the new statistical methods showing small continuous changes (Biometrics).