Joshua Brookes (biologist)

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Joshua Brookes, painting by Thomas Phillips from 1821
An 1820 letter from Joshua Brookes

Joshua Brookes ( November 24, 1761 - January 10, 1833 ) was a British biologist and anatomist .

Joshua Brookes began his training with Magnus Falconer and the anatomist Hewson at the age of 16 . He was also a student of John Hunter , the most famous British anatomist of the 18th century. Brookes taught anatomy , physiology and surgery in London. In the 40 years of his career, he trained around 7,000 students, partly because he charged lower tuition fees than his colleagues. In addition to human medicine, he was also particularly interested in natural history and the anatomy of animals. The Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Veterinary College rejected him as a council member and examiner. The Duke of Essex only spoke against this decision in 1826, when Brookes was already retiring from professional life .

On June 25, 1831, a farewell dinner was held with his friends and students.

A painting by Thomas Philipps shows Brookes seated at a work table in front of a Greek atlas of anatomy. Brookes had received this painting from his students in 1821 as a birthday present. In 1826 he also received a marble bust from Robert William Sievier .

After officially retiring from teaching for health reasons, Brookes continued to hold lectures for members at the Zoological Society. Among other things, he addressed the anatomy of the ostrich .

Brookes was the founder of the Brookesian Museum , which he established in his home on Blenheim Street. The collection eventually came under the hammer of an auctioneer. The common chameleon species Brookesia is named after Brookes . The actual first description of the genus from 1865 comes from John Edward Gray .

He was buried in St. James' Church in Piccadilly. He left a son who served in the Royal Navy. According to D'Arcy Power, Joshua Brookes was "the brother of the celebrated menagerie keeper in Exeter 'Change" , so the brother of the famous menagerie keeper in Exeter Change . In fact, Edward Cross, the owner of this menagerie, had good relations with Brookes, which eventually led to Brookes being involved in the autopsy of the elephant Chunee .

Works

  • An Address Delivered at the Anniversary Meeting of the Zoological Club of the Linnean Society, Held at the Society's House, in Soho-Square, November 29, 1828
  • The Brookesian Museum. The Museum of Joshua Brookes [...] , London 1828
  • Thoughts on the Best Means of Lessening the Destructive Progress of Cholera , London 1831

Individual evidence

  1. ^ King's College London - Library Services . In: kcl.ac.uk .
  2. ↑ Image of joshua brookes, British anatomist, 1822 by Science & Society Picture Library . In: scienceandsociety.co.uk .
  3. ↑ Thomas Hildenhagen . In: triplov.com .
  4. ↑ The Gentleman's Magazine , January to June 1833, Vol. CIII, NS 26, Part 1, London 1833, pp. 184 f.
  5. ^ The Medical Institutions of London , in: The British Medical Journal , June 29, 1895, p. 1451
personal data
SURNAME Brookes, Joshua
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British biologist and anatomist
DATE OF BIRTH November 24, 1761
DATE OF DEATH January 10, 1833