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Edward Tyson (20 January 1651 – 1 August 1708) was an English
In 1680, Tyson studied a
Edward Tyson (20 January 1651 – 1 August 1708) was an English scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
and physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
. He is commonly regarded as the founder of modern comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species).
The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...
, which compares the anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
between species.
Biography
Tyson was born the son of Edward Tyson atClevedon
Clevedon (, ) is an English seaside town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 i ...
, in Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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. He became a BA from Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 8 February 1670, an MA from Oxford on 4 November 1673, and an MD from Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
in 1678. He was admitted to the College of Physicians on 30 September 1680 and as a Fellow in April 1683. In 1684 he was appointed physician and governor to the Bethlem Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital, also known as St Mary Bethlehem, Bethlehem Hospital and Bedlam, is a psychiatric hospital in London. Its famous history has inspired several horror books, films and TV series, most notably ''Bedlam'', a 1946 film with Bo ...
in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(the first mental hospital in Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
and the second in Europe). He is credited with changing the hospital from a zoo of sorts to a place intended to assist its inmates. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in November 1679. He is buried at St Dionis Backchurch
St Dionis Backchurch was a parish church in the Langbourn ward of the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London to the designs of Christopher Wren and demolished in 1878.
Early history
The church of St D ...
.
Anatomical research
In 1680, Tyson studied a porpoise
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...
and established that it is a mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
. He noted that the convoluted structures of the brains were closer to those of land quadrupeds than those of fish. In 1698, he dissected a chimpanzee
The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...
on display at the London docks, and as a result wrote a book, '' Orang-Outang, sive Homo Sylvestris: or, the Anatomy of a Pygmie Compared with that of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man''. In the book he came to the conclusion that the chimpanzee has more in common with man than with monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s, particularly with respect to its brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...
. This work was republished in 1894 with an introduction by Bertram C. A. Windle and a short biography of Tyson.
Tyson dissected a timber rattlesnake in 1683 and produced one of the earliest and most accurate descriptions of the internal anatomy of snakes. He was the first to describe the loreal pits of the Crotalinae
The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . crotaline snakes (from grc, κρόταλον ''krotalon'' castanet), or pit adders, are a subfa ...
. Tyson however did not recognize its heat-sensing function, thinking it was a hearing organ.
See also
*Tyson's gland Preputial glands are exocrine glands that are located in the folds of skin front of the genitals of some mammals. They occur in several species, including mice, ferrets, rhinoceroses, and even-toed ungulates and produce pheromones. The glands play ...
References
Further reading
*Montagu, Ashley (1943) Edward Tyson, M.D., F.R.S., 1650-1708: And the Rise of Human and Comparative Anatomy in England; a Study in the History of Science. American Philosophical Society.External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson, Edward 1651 births 1708 deaths People from Clevedon British anatomists Fellows of the Royal Society