Henry Denny (1803–1871) was an English museum curator and

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

, known as an authority on parasites.

Life

Denny was the first salaried curator of the

Leeds Museum Leeds City Museum, originally established in 1819, reopened in 2008 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is housed in the former Mechanics' Institute built by Cuthbert Brodrick, in Cookridge Street (now Millennium Square). It is one of nine s ...

, then the museum of the

Leeds Literary and Philosophical Society Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society is a Learned society in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1819, and its museum collection forms the basis of Leeds City Museum, which reopened in September 2008. The printed works and ...

, appointed in 1825. He held that post for 45 years. Also in 1825, he published a monograph on the British species of ant-loving beetles in the genus ''

Pselaphus ''Pselaphus'' is a genus of ant-loving beetles in the family Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdom ...

''. The

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

in 1842 made a grant to Denny for the study of British

Anoplura Sucking lice (Anoplura, formerly known as Siphunculata) have around 500 species and represent the smaller of the two traditional superfamily (taxonomy), superfamilies of lice. As opposed to the paraphyletic chewing lice, which are now divided amo ...

; William Kirby tried to bring him in as illustrator of his ''Introduction to Entomology'', though without success. A good friend of Charles Darwin, Henry Denny would be included in his treatise "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". A piece of correspondence written by Denny to Darwin found its way into Part One "Race" as supporting evidence to Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The passage is as follows: "...And yet, on Martial's testimony, humans no different from each other than Englishmen and Sandwich Islanders carried lice so different from each other than there was no cross-infestation" Denny died at

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

on 7 March 1871, at the age of 68.

Works

Denny's published writings were: * ''Monographia Pselaphorum et Scydmænorum Britanniæ; or an Essay on the British species of the genera Pselaphus of Herbst, and Scydmænus of Latreille'', Norwich, 1825. * ''Monographia Anoplurorum Britanniæ; or an Essay on the British species of Parasitic Insects belonging to the order Anoplura of Leach'', London, 1842.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Denny, Henry 1803 births 1871 deaths English entomologists English curators British parasitologists