Thomas Horsfield
Encyclopedia
Thomas Horsfield M. D. was an American
physician
and naturalist
.
Horsfield was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
. He was the grandson of Timothy Horsfield, Sr., a colonel and justice of the peace in Bethlehem, and a friend mentioned in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. The Horsfield family had converted to Moravianism, a Protestant denomination with a strong emphasis on education. In 1800 Thomas Horsfield travelled to Java for the first time and worked there as a doctor for many years. The East India Company
took control of the island from the Dutch
in 1811, and Horsfield began to collect plant
s and animal
s on behalf of his friend Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. In 1819 he was forced to leave the island due to ill health and became keeper and later curator
of the East India Company's museum in Leadenhall Street
, London
.
Horsfield wrote Zoological Researches in Java and the Neighbouring Islands (1824). He also classified a number of birds with Nicholas Aylward Vigors
, most notably in their A description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities (Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1827)). Together with the botanists Robert Brown
and John Joseph Bennett
he published the Plantae Javanicae rariores (1838–52).
Horsfield was appointed assistant secretary of the Zoological Society of London
at its formation in 1826. In 1833, he was a founder of what became the Royal Entomological Society of London
. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1828.
Horsfield died at his home in Camden Town
and was buried at the Moravian cemetery in Chelsea
.
Horsfield is commemorated in the names of a number of animals, including:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He was the grandson of Timothy Horsfield, Sr., a colonel and justice of the peace in Bethlehem, and a friend mentioned in Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. The Horsfield family had converted to Moravianism, a Protestant denomination with a strong emphasis on education. In 1800 Thomas Horsfield travelled to Java for the first time and worked there as a doctor for many years. The East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
took control of the island from the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1811, and Horsfield began to collect plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s and animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s on behalf of his friend Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. In 1819 he was forced to leave the island due to ill health and became keeper and later curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the East India Company's museum in Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street
Leadenhall Street is a street in the City of London, formerly part of the A11. It runs east from Cornhill to Aldgate, and west vice-versa. Aldgate Pump is at the junction with Aldgate...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Horsfield wrote Zoological Researches in Java and the Neighbouring Islands (1824). He also classified a number of birds with Nicholas Aylward Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors was an Irish zoologist and politician.Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford. He served in the army during the Peninsular War from 1809 to 1811. He then returned to Oxford, graduating with a B.A. in 1815 and in 1817 with an...
, most notably in their A description of the Australian birds in the collection of the Linnean Society; with an attempt at arranging them according to their natural affinities (Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1827)). Together with the botanists Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
and John Joseph Bennett
John Joseph Bennett
John Joseph Bennett was a British botanist.Bennett was assistant keeper of the Banksian herbarium and library at the British Museum from 1827 to 1858, when he succeeded Robert Brown as Keeper of the Botanical Department. He retired in 1870. He was secretary of the Linnean Society of London from...
he published the Plantae Javanicae rariores (1838–52).
Horsfield was appointed assistant secretary of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
at its formation in 1826. In 1833, he was a founder of what became the Royal Entomological Society of London
Royal Entomological Society of London
The Royal Entomological Society of London is devoted to insect study. It has a major national and international role in disseminating information about insects and improving communication between entomologists....
. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1828.
Horsfield died at his home in Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
and was buried at the Moravian cemetery in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
.
Horsfield is commemorated in the names of a number of animals, including:
- Javanese Flying Squirrel, Iomys horsfieldii
- Horsfield's Fruit Bat, Cynopterus horsfieldi
- Horsfield's Shrew, Crocidura horsfieldi
- Horsfield's Bat, Myotis horsfieldii, a species of small bat in the Vespertilionidae family.
- Russian TortoiseRussian TortoiseThe Russian tortoise, Horsfield's tortoise or Central Asian tortoise is a species of tortoise that is a popular pet...
Testudo horsfieldii - Horsfield's Spiny Lizard, Salea horsfieldiiSalea horsfieldiiHorsfield's Spiny Lizard is a species of agama found in southern India in the Nilgiri and Palni Hills.-Description:From C. A. L. Gunther The Reptiles of British India....
, a species of agama found in southern India in the Nilgiri and Palni Hills. - Malabar Whistling Thrush, Myophonus horsfieldii, a bird found in peninsular India.
- Indian Scimitar-babbler, Pomatorhinus horsfieldii, an Old World babblerOld World babblerThe Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
found in peninsular India. - White's Thrush (Horsfield's Thrush), Zoothera horsfieldi, resident bird in Indonesia.
- Oriental Cuckoo, Cuculus horsfieldi
- Common Darkie, Paragerydus horsfieldii, a small butterfly found in India.
- Arhopala horsfieldiArhopala horsfieldiArhopala horsfieldi is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Asia .-Subspecies:* Arhopala horsfieldi horsfieldi...
a butterflyButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of LycaenidaeLycaenidaeThe Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. - South Indian Blue Oakleaf, Kallima horsfieldiKallima horsfieldiThe South Indian Blue Oakleaf is a nymphalid butterfly found in India. The underside appears like a leaf complete with midrib while the upperside is brilliantly coloured.-Dry season form:Males and females indigo-blue...
, nymphalid butterfly found in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. - HorsfieldiaHorsfieldiaHorsfieldia is a name of plant genus native to South East Asia.The name is also a synonym for other plants from genera in the families Araliaceae and Gesneriaceae. The genus consists of evergreen trees. The species have dispersed or distichous leaves which are thinly leathery, often glabrous. The...
genus of plant in Family MyristicaceaeMyristicaceaeMyristicaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. The family has been recognised by most taxonomists; it is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, Nutmeg ....
native to South East Asia.
External links
- http://www.iias.nl/iiasn/12/Regional/12CDXB01.html