William Elford Leach FRS (February 2, 1790 – August 26, 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1836 ( MDCCCXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Zoology (from Greek ζῷον, zoon, "animal" + λόγος, " Logos " "knowledge" is the branch of Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water
Leach was born in Plymouth, the son of a solicitor. Plymouth ( is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England about south west of London. At the age of twelve he went to school in Exeter, studying anatomy and chemistry. Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. Anatomy (from the Greek anatomia, from ana separate apart from and temnein, to cut up cut open is a branch of Biology that is the consideration Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties By this time he was already collecting marine samples from Plymouth Sound and along the Devon coast. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name At seventeen he began studying medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, finishing his qualification at the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The University of St Andrews is the oldest University in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between
In 1813 Leach returned to his zoological interests and was employed as assistant librarian in the Zoological Department at the British Museum. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. He set himself to sorting out the collections, many of which had been neglected since they had been left to the museum by Hans Sloane. Sir Hans Sloane 1st Baronet, PRS ( 16 April, 1660 &ndash 11 January, 1753) was an Ulster-Scot Physician and During his time there he was made assistant keeper of the natural history department and became an expert on crustaceans and mollusks. Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 He also worked on insects, mammals and birds. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs.
Leach's nomenclature was a little eccentric - he named twenty-seven species after his friend John Cranch, who had collected the species in Africa and later died on HMS Congo. John Cranch (1758 - 1816 was an English naturalist and explorer. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. The HMS Congo was the first Steam -powered warship built for the British Royal Navy, though it must be recorded that she was not very successful as such In 1818 he named nine genera after Caroline or anagrams of that name, possibly after his mistress. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic
In 1821 he suffered a nervous breakdown due to overwork and resigned from the museum in March 1822. His elder sister took him to continental Europe to convalesce, and they travelled through France, Italy and Greece. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία He died of cholera in the Palazzo San Sebastiano, near Tortona, north of Genoa. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium Genoa ( Genova, ˈdʒɛːnova in Italian; Zena in Genoese and Ligurian; Genua in Latin and archaically in English
The Leach's Storm-petrel was named after him by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1820, without him being aware that it had previously been described by Vieillot. The Leach's Storm-petrel or Leach's Petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small Seabird of the Tubenose family Coenraad Jacob Temminck ( March 31, 1778, Amsterdam - January 30, 1858, Lisse) was a Dutch aristocrat and A specimen of this bird had been purchased by Leach on behalf of the British Museum for £5 15s in the sale of the collection of William Bullock in 1819. William Bullock ( c 1773 - 1849 was an English Traveller naturalist and Antiquarian. At the same sale he also bought a Great Auk and an egg for just over £16. The Great Auk, Pinguinus impennis, formerly of the Genus Alca, is a Bird that became extinct in the mid-19th century
The Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii was also named for him. The Blue-winged Kookaburra, Dacelo leachii, is a very large species of Kingfisher with a total length of around 40 cm
Bibliography
Leach's written works during his time at the British Museum include the following:
- Zoological Miscellany (1814-1817)
- Monograph on the British Crabs, Lobsters, Prawns and other Crustacea with pendunculated eyes (1815-1817)
- Systematic catalogue of the Specimens of the Indigenous Mammalia and Birds that are preserved at the British Museum (1816)
- Synopsis of the Mollusca of Great Britain (circulated 1820, but not published until 1852).
References
- Barbara and Richard Mearns - Biographies for Birdwatchers ISBN 0-12-487422-3
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic