Biographical Note
Nathan Fasten was born in Austria on December 4, 1887, and came to the
United States when he was two years old. He grew up in New York City, and
graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1910 with a bachelor of
science in chemical biology. From 1911 to 1914 he studied zoology, plant
physiology, cytology, genetics, evolution, and fisheries as a graduate student
at the University of Wisconsin, earning a Ph.D. in 1914.
After teaching at Marshall College (1910-1911), the University of
Wisconsin (1911-1914) and the University of Washington (1914-1920), Fasten came
to Oregon Agricultural College in 1920 as an associate professor of zoology and
physiology. The next year he was promoted to professor and department head; he
served in that capacity until his resignation from Oregon State College in
1944. He later worked as Chief Scientist for the Washington State Water
Pollution Commission in Seattle. Fasten authored many journal articles and
books. The latter included
Origin Through Evolution (1930),
Elements of General Zoology (1931),
Principles of Genetics and Eugenics;
A Study of Heredity and Variation in Plants,
Animals, and Man (1935), and
Introduction to General Zoology (1941). He
was a member of several honorary societies and professional organizations,
including Sigma Xi (national science honor society), the American Society of
Naturalists, and the American Society of Zoologists. He was also a fellow in
the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Fasten died in Seattle
on September 19, 1953.
Content Description
This collection consists of a copy of Fasten's book,
Origin Through Evolution, published in 1930
by F. S. Crofts and Company of New York. The book is annotated inside the front
cover with the name of a previous owner, who likely purchase the volume in 1932
while a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The endsheets near
the back cover are annotated with the owner's critique of Fasten's theory of
use and disuse in evolution.