William Wood (zoologist)
Encyclopedia
William Wood was an English zoologist and entomologist. William Wood trained as a surgeon
but left the medical profession to become a natural history
bookseller, publisher and naturalist.
Wood was the author of several natural history books, especially on the Mollusca
. He was also a Fellow
of the Royal Society
and a Fellow of the Linnean Society.
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
but left the medical profession to become a natural history
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...
bookseller, publisher and naturalist.
Wood was the author of several natural history books, especially on the Mollusca
Mollusca
The Mollusca , common name molluscs or mollusksSpelled mollusks in the USA, see reasons given in Rosenberg's ; for the spelling mollusc see the reasons given by , is a large phylum of invertebrate animals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. Mollusca is the largest...
. He was also a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and a Fellow of the Linnean Society.
Works
Partial list- Index testaceologicus, or, A catalogue of shells, British and foreign : arranged according to the Linnean system : with the Latin and English names, references to authors, and places where found : illustrated with 2,300 figures. London Printed for W. Wood London, Printed for W. Wood,1818. Second edition 1828.
- Index entomologicus, or, A complete illustrated catalogue, consisting of 1,944 figures, of the lepidopterous insects of Great Britain London William Wood,1839.
- An illustrated, enlarged, and English edition of Lamarck's Species of shells comprising the whole of the recent additions in Deshayes' last French edition, with numerous species not noticed by that naturalist, accompanied by accurate delineations of almost all the shells described London :W. Wood 1843