Terrapene clausa from Thomas Bell's "A Monograph of the Testudinata" London: 1832–1836
Bell, like his mother Susan, took a keen interest in natural history which his mother also encouraged in his younger cousin Philip Henry Gosse. Bell left Poole in 1813 for his training as a dental surgeon in London. He is listed in 1817 as having an address at number 17 Fenchurch Street, and as being a committee member of the newly formed London Peace Society. By 1819 his address is given as 18 Bucklersbury, also in the city of London. He combined two careers, becoming Professor of Zoology at King's College London in 1836 (on the strength of amateur research) and lecturing on anatomy at Guy's Hospital. He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1844. He was the first president of the Ray Society, founded the same year,[1] and President of the Linnean Society in 1858.
Bell was at the heart of the scientific establishment and when Charles Darwin returned to London from the Beagle expedition on 2 December 1836, Bell was quick to take on the task of describing the reptile specimens.[2] He was also entrusted with the specimens of Crustacea collected on the voyage. He was the authority in this field; his book British Stalke-eyed Crustacea is a masterwork. He played a significant part in the inception of Darwin's theory of natural selection in March 1837 when he confirmed that the giant Galápagos tortoises were native to the islands, not brought in by buccaneers for food as Darwin had thought.[3] He supported the arrangements for publication of Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, but then was very slow to make progress on the work, and though the first parts of work were published in 1838, Bell's contribution on reptiles (Part 5) was published in two numbers, in 1842 and 1843,[4] and he subsequently failed to take any action on the Crustacea.[5]
Gilbert White's house, The Wakes, now a museum, viewed from the back gardens in 2010
In his seventieth year Bell retired to The Wakes, a house at Selborne, where he took a keen interest in its former resident, the amateur naturalist Gilbert White.[8] In 1877 he published a new edition of White's book The Natural History of Selborne.[8] Bell died at Selborne in 1880.[8]
Personal lifeedit
Illustration (Plate 17) for one of Bell's articles "Observations on the Neck of the Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, Linn.", by Jane S. Bell[9]Memorial plaque in St Mary's Selbourne
Bell married Jane Sarah, daughter of William Roberts, Esq., at St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe on 3 December 1832.[10] The couple had one child, a daughter, Susan Gosse,[11] born 29 March 1836.[12] Susan pre-deceased her parents on 4 January 1854.[11] Jane died on 29 June 1873.[11]
A few of Bell's works were illustrated by Jane, who signed herself Jane S. Bell.
Legacyedit
Bell is commemorated in the scientific names of several species and subspecies of reptiles.[13]
Chelonoidis denticulata/Testudo tabulata from Thomas Bell's A Monograph of the Testudinata London: 1832–1836
A Monograph of the Testudinata. 1832–1836. – summarizes all the world's turtles, living and extinct. The forty plates are by Jane S. Bell, James de Carle Sowerby and Edward Lear.
A History of British Quadrupeds. 1836.
A History of the British Stalk-eyed Crustacea. Paternoster Row, London: John Van Voorst. 1844–1853.
^The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online: The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle – bibliography by Freeman, R. B. (1977) and links to online texts and images of each of the nineteen numbers.
^ abc"Bell, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2029. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
^Bell, Thomas (1834). "XII. Observations on the Neck of the Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, Linn". The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 1 (2): 113–116. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1835.tb00608.x.
^"Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries". The Morning Post. No. 19341. 4 December 1832. p. 8. Married: on the 3rd inst., at St. Mary's, Rotherhithe by the Rev. Thomas Hardwicke, Thomas Bell Esq., of New Broad-street, to Jane Sarah, only daughter of the late William Roberts, Esq., of the former place.
^ abc"Thomas Bell (image of memorial stone)". Find a Grave. Retrieved 16 January 2019. In memory of Thomas Bell F.R.S. Professor of Zoology in King's College London. For some time Secretary and Vice-President of the Royal Society and President of the Linnean Society:- of "The Wakes" in this Parish, who died March 13th 1880, aged 87 years. And of Jane Sarah, his Wife, Daughter and sole heir of William Roberts, Esq., of Ruabon, Denbighshire, who died June 29th 1873, aged 75 years. Also of Susan Gosse, their only Child, who died Jan. 4th 1854, aged 17 years.
^"Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries". The Morning Chronicle. No. 20378. 30 March 1836. Births: The Lady of Thomas Bell, Esq., of New Broad-street, of a daughter.
^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Bell, T.", p. 22).
Keynes, Richard (ed.) (2000), "Specimen Lists", Charles Darwin's zoology notes & specimen lists from H.M.S. Beagle., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press {{citation}}: |given1= has generic name (help)
Media related to Thomas Bell (zoologist) at Wikimedia Commons
December 14, 2023
thomas, bell, zoologist, other, people, named, thomas, bell, thomas, bell, disambiguation, thomas, hornsey, bell, october, 1792, march, 1880, english, zoologist, dental, surgeon, writer, born, poole, dorset, england, thomas, bellborn, 1792, october, 1792poole,. For other people named Thomas Bell see Thomas Bell disambiguation Thomas Hornsey Bell FRS FLS 11 October 1792 13 March 1880 was an English zoologist dental surgeon and writer born in Poole Dorset England Thomas BellBorn 1792 10 11 11 October 1792Poole EnglandDied13 March 1880 1880 03 13 aged 87 Selborne EnglandKnown forBritish Stalke eyed CrustaceaSpouseJane Roberts scientific illustrator ChildrenOne daughter Susan GosseRelativesPhilip Henry Gosse cousin AwardsFellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and of the Linnean Society president Scientific careerInstitutionsKing s College London Guy s Hospital LondonAuthor abbrev zoology Bell Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Legacy 4 Works 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Bibliography 7 External linksCareer edit nbsp Terrapene clausa from Thomas Bell s A Monograph of the Testudinata London 1832 1836Bell like his mother Susan took a keen interest in natural history which his mother also encouraged in his younger cousin Philip Henry Gosse Bell left Poole in 1813 for his training as a dental surgeon in London He is listed in 1817 as having an address at number 17 Fenchurch Street and as being a committee member of the newly formed London Peace Society By 1819 his address is given as 18 Bucklersbury also in the city of London He combined two careers becoming Professor of Zoology at King s College London in 1836 on the strength of amateur research and lecturing on anatomy at Guy s Hospital He became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1844 He was the first president of the Ray Society founded the same year 1 and President of the Linnean Society in 1858 Bell was at the heart of the scientific establishment and when Charles Darwin returned to London from the Beagle expedition on 2 December 1836 Bell was quick to take on the task of describing the reptile specimens 2 He was also entrusted with the specimens of Crustacea collected on the voyage He was the authority in this field his book British Stalke eyed Crustacea is a masterwork He played a significant part in the inception of Darwin s theory of natural selection in March 1837 when he confirmed that the giant Galapagos tortoises were native to the islands not brought in by buccaneers for food as Darwin had thought 3 He supported the arrangements for publication of Zoology of the Voyage of H M S Beagle but then was very slow to make progress on the work and though the first parts of work were published in 1838 Bell s contribution on reptiles Part 5 was published in two numbers in 1842 and 1843 4 and he subsequently failed to take any action on the Crustacea 5 As President of the Linnean Society Bell chaired the meeting on 1 July 1858 at which Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace s theories on natural selection were first presented in a joint reading of their papers On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection Bell appears to have been unimpressed and in his annual presidential report presented in May 1859 wrote that The year which has passed has not indeed been marked by any of those striking discoveries which at once revolutionize so to speak the department of science on which they bear 6 7 nbsp Gilbert White s house The Wakes now a museum viewed from the back gardens in 2010In his seventieth year Bell retired to The Wakes a house at Selborne where he took a keen interest in its former resident the amateur naturalist Gilbert White 8 In 1877 he published a new edition of White s book The Natural History of Selborne 8 Bell died at Selborne in 1880 8 Personal life edit nbsp Illustration Plate 17 for one of Bell s articles Observations on the Neck of the Three toed Sloth Bradypus tridactylus Linn by Jane S Bell 9 nbsp Memorial plaque in St Mary s SelbourneBell married Jane Sarah daughter of William Roberts Esq at St Mary s Church Rotherhithe on 3 December 1832 10 The couple had one child a daughter Susan Gosse 11 born 29 March 1836 12 Susan pre deceased her parents on 4 January 1854 11 Jane died on 29 June 1873 11 A few of Bell s works were illustrated by Jane who signed herself Jane S Bell Legacy editBell is commemorated in the scientific names of several species and subspecies of reptiles 13 Chrysemys picta belli a subspecies of turtle Gonocephalus bellii a species of lizard Kinixys belliana a species of tortoise Leiolepis belliana a species of lizard Leiosaurus bellii a species of lizard Liolaemus bellii a species of lizard Myuchelys bellii a species of turtle Plestiodon lynxe bellii a subspecies of lizardWorks edit nbsp Chelonoidis denticulata Testudo tabulata from Thomas Bell s A Monograph of the Testudinata London 1832 1836A Monograph of the Testudinata 1832 1836 summarizes all the world s turtles living and extinct The forty plates are by Jane S Bell James de Carle Sowerby and Edward Lear A History of British Quadrupeds 1836 A History of the British Stalk eyed Crustacea Paternoster Row London John Van Voorst 1844 1853 See also editCategory Taxa named by Thomas Bell zoologist References edit Ray and Palaeontographical Societies Midland Naturalist 1 71 73 1878 Desmond amp Moore 1991 p 204 Desmond amp Moore 1991 p 220 The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online The Zoology of the Voyage of H M S Beagle bibliography by Freeman R B 1977 and links to online texts and images of each of the nineteen numbers Keynes 2000 Browne 2002 pp 40 42 Keynes 2000 a b c Bell Thomas Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 2029 Subscription or UK public library membership required Bell Thomas 1834 XII Observations on the Neck of the Three toed Sloth Bradypus tridactylus Linn The Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 1 2 113 116 doi 10 1111 j 1096 3642 1835 tb00608 x Births Deaths Marriages and Obituaries The Morning Post No 19341 4 December 1832 p 8 Married on the 3rd inst at St Mary s Rotherhithe by the Rev Thomas Hardwicke Thomas Bell Esq of New Broad street to Jane Sarah only daughter of the late William Roberts Esq of the former place a b c Thomas Bell image of memorial stone Find a Grave Retrieved 16 January 2019 In memory of Thomas Bell F R S Professor of Zoology in King s College London For some time Secretary and Vice President of the Royal Society and President of the Linnean Society of The Wakes in this Parish who died March 13th 1880 aged 87 years And of Jane Sarah his Wife Daughter and sole heir of William Roberts Esq of Ruabon Denbighshire who died June 29th 1873 aged 75 years Also of Susan Gosse their only Child who died Jan 4th 1854 aged 17 years Births Deaths Marriages and Obituaries The Morning Chronicle No 20378 30 March 1836 Births The Lady of Thomas Bell Esq of New Broad street of a daughter Beolens Bo Watkins Michael Grayson Michael 2011 The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press xiii 296 pp ISBN 978 1 4214 0135 5 Bell T p 22 Bibliography edit Browne E Janet 1995 Charles Darwin vol 1 Voyaging London Jonathan Cape ISBN 1 84413 314 1 Browne E Janet 2002 Charles Darwin vol 2 The Power of Place London Jonathan Cape ISBN 0 7126 6837 3 Desmond Adrian Moore James 1991 Darwin London Michael Joseph Penguin Group ISBN 0 7181 3430 3 Keynes Richard ed 2000 Specimen Lists Charles Darwin s zoology notes amp specimen lists from H M S Beagle Cambridge Cambridge University Press a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a given1 has generic name help External links edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Thomas Bell A History of the British Stalk eyed Crustacea Internet Archive A Monograph of the Testudinata Rare Book Room The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne 1877 edition edited by Bell at the Biodiversity Heritage Library nbsp Media related to Thomas Bell zoologist at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thomas Bell zoologist amp oldid 1186796938, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
