John Henry Comstock (February 24, 1849 – March 20, 1931) was an eminent researcher in

entomology 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 ara ...

and

arachnology Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and harvestmen. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly, the study of ...

and a leading educator. His work provided the basis for classification of butterflies, moths, and scale insects.

Early life and education

Comstock was born on February 24, 1849 in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jan ...

. He studied at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, graduating in 1874. He also studied at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...

. In 1878 he married Anna Botsford. She was a wood engraver who beautifully illustrated many of his articles. Comstock became a professor of Nature Studies at Cornell.

Career

Comstock worked as an instructor at Cornell until 1879. He worked at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

from 1877 to 1879. Between 1879 and 1881 he became the chief Entomologist of the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

in Washington, D.C. In 1882 he became professor of Entomology and Invertebrate Zoology at Cornell. He also did work in insect morphology and is best known as the co-proposer of the Comstock-Needham system with

James George Needham James George Needham (March 16, 1868 in Virginia, Illinois – July 24, 1957) was an American entomologist. After studying with John Henry Comstock at Cornell University (1896–1898) he taught biology at Lake Forest University (1898–1907). In ...

. In 1893, John Henry Comstock and

Simon Henry Gage Simon Henry Gage (May 20, 1851 – October 20, 1944) was a professor of anatomy, Histology, and Embryology at Cornell University and an important figure in the history of American microscopy. His book, ''The Microscope,'' appeared in seventee ...

founded the Comstock Publishing Company in order to make textbooks on microscopy, histology, and entomology available at a reasonable price to students and to publish the works of

Anna Botsford Comstock Anna Botsford Comstock (September 1, 1854 – August 24, 1930) was an acclaimed author, illustrator, and educator of natural studies. The first female professor at Cornell University, her over 900-page work, ''The Handbook of Nature Study'' (1911 ...

on nature study. Comstock, through his own work and that of his students, had a significant influence in the development of entomology departments throughout the United States. He suffered a stroke on August 5, 1926, and continued to live as an invalid until his death on March 20, 1931.

The John Henry Comstock Award

The

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

gives out an award in each of its six branches to the outstanding graduate student of the year. This award is the John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award.

Publications

Comstock published many articles including: *
Introduction to Entomology
' (1908). * ''A Manual for the study of insects'' (1930) jointly credited and illustrated by

. * ''The Spider book: a manual for the study of the spiders and near relatives'' (1912). * ''Notes on Entomology'' (Ithaca, 1875). * ''Annual Reports of Entomologist'' (Washington, 1879–1881). * ''Report on Cotton Insects'' (1879). * ''Second Annual Report of the Department of Entomology of Cornell University,'' including a monograph on '' Diaspinae'' (Ithaca, 1883). * an article on ''

Hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typic ...

'' in the "Standard Natural History" (Boston, 1884).

References

* About Henry and Anna: * "Anna Botsford Comstock," "John Henry Comstock," "Harrison Gray Dyar," "Mary Jane Rathbun," and "Robert Edwards Carter Stearns." In: ''American National Biography''. New York: (Oxford University Press, 1999).

External links