Charles Darwin may be best noted for his work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection and evolution, but he also suffered from many health issues. One may have been Migraines. Darwin was the fifth of six children born to Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood on February 12, 1809, in Shrewsbury, England. His father was a competent, wealthy, open-minded physician, and his mother was well educated too. Darwin's grandfathers were quite special in their own right as well as great friends. His paternal grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a poet, naturalist, and scientist who wrote some evolutionary principles in Zoonomia. His maternal grandfather was Josiah Wedgwood of Wedgwood pottery. Darwin was an active, physically energetic young boy, enjoying country sports and all the advantages and modern comforts wealth afforded him. Being in nature was his favorite pastime, and this is where he began his fascination with collecting all things natural, including insects, plants and animals. But at the tender age of eight, his mother died, and he was raised by his sisters and family servants.

He spent the majority of the next eight years at Dr. Samuel Butler's boarding school at Shrewsbury where he studied the classic works of Sir Walter Scott, Gordon Byron, Homer, William Shakespeare and others. It soon became apparent that studying these were not his forte, and he was much happier in the science lab conducting experiments and being outdoors. His father was not happy about Darwin's activities, expecting him to follow the family tradition and become a physician. Thus, he was sent to Edinburgh to begin his medical studies. He did find some enjoyment in the practical side of medicine, but thought the lectures were boring and couldn't tolerate being in the operating room. After a few years, he returned home to contemplate his future. It was during this period he was able to read many books on Christianity and thought about pursuing a life in the clergy. But his love of nature always seemed to win. He spent many hours outside collecting specimens, hunting and learning taxidermy on birds.

In 1827, he started Christ's College in Cambridge where he found his Greek miserably lacking. This was problematic because Greek was required for daily lectures. He was privately tutored at home until he was confident enough to translate Greek without difficulty. By the time he achieved this, all the student housing was taken, so he had to live in an apartment just down the street. Again, not enjoying school, he continued his love of natural science. He and his fellow classmates began collecting insects and beetles, then documenting these collections. In the late 1820's, British Entomology published some of his early insect collection records. His passion of beetle collecting led him to be an ardent follower of John Stevens Henslow who taught him the practice of natural science. In January of 1831, he passed his Bachelor of Arts degree exam, but wasn't awarded his degree until April that year due to the residency requirement.