Henry Bryant (naturalist)

Henry Bryant (May 12, 1820 – February 2, 1867) was an American physician and naturalist. He was the grandfather of Henry Bryant Bigelow.

Bryant was born in Boston, and graduated from Harvard University in 1840, and then followed this from a degree at Harvard Medical School in 1843. Following this, he went to Paris to study medicine, but his health broke down while researching at a Paris hospital. In order to restore his health, he joined the French army in Algeria as a surgeon.

In October 1847, Bryant returned to Boston to work with Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow as a surgeon, but after a few months his health broke down again. After being forced to abandon medicine because of ill health, Bryant turned to natural history, especially ornithology, which was a childhood passion. Bryant visited nearby Cohasset, Massachusetts for one of his first collecting trips, but he seriously injured his stomach from a fall while landing his boat. After his recovery, he decided to push himself further in an attempt to strengthen his body. His collecting trips became more frequent and more far flung.

Around this time, Bryant joined the Megatherium Club, a group of young naturalists at the newly formed Smithsonian Institution in the mid-1850s to mid-1860s. He appears in a famous photograph of the group, seated lower right. Others in the photograph are: Robert Kennicott, Henry Ulke, and William Stimpson. In 1854, Bryant was named Curator of Ornithology for the Boston Society of Natural History, where he had been a member since 1841. He served as the curator until his death.

Bryant took a break from natural history to volunteer as a surgeon during the American Civil War. He accepted an appointment as a surgeon for the 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was also known as "The Harvard Regiment." By September 1861, Bryant was promoted to brigade surgeon. Soon after, he served on the staff of General Frederick W. Lander until March 2, 1862, when the general died of pneumonia.

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