Avery Judd Skilton M.D. (February 1, 1802 – March 22, 1858) was an American physician and naturalist who practiced medicine in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, for 30 years. He was also a curator at the Troy Lyceum of Natural History, studying mineralogy, geology, botany, conchology, and paleontology, and in his later years pursued genealogy. Skilton was born in

Watertown, Connecticut Watertown is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 22,105 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The ZIP codes for Watertown are 06795 (for most of the ...

, the second son of James and Chloe (Steele) Skilton. He attended Yale Medical College. from 1826 to 1827. He commenced the practice of medicine in Troy in the year 1827, and continued it until December 10, 1857, when incapacitated by illness. In addition to medical practice, he pursued natural history,

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...

, and genealogy. Results of his genealogical efforts were published posthumously in ''Steele Family: A Genealogical History of John and George Steele and Their Descendants''. His contributions to herpetology include the descriptions of the

rough-skinned newt The rough-skinned newt or roughskin newt (''Taricha granulosa'') is a North American newt known for the strong toxin exuded from its skin. Appearance A stocky newt with rounded snout, it ranges from light brown to olive or brownish-black on t ...

(''Taricha granulosa'') and Oregon alligator lizard (''Elgaria multicarinata scincicauda'') in 1849. He was a correspondent of biologist

Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, Herpetology, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He ...

, often sending him specimens. Skilton is commemorated in the scientific name of the

western skink The western skink ''(Plestiodon skiltonianus)'' is a species of small, smooth- scaled lizard with relatively small limbs. It measures about 100 to 210 mm (about 4 to 8.25 inches) in total length (body + tail). It is one of seven species of l ...

(''Plestiodon skiltonianus'').

References

1802 births 1858 deaths American naturalists Physicians from New York (state) People from Watertown, Connecticut People from Troy, New York Scientists from New York (state) {{US-biologist-stub