John Edwards Holbrook
| John Edwards Holbrook | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 31, 1796 Beaufort, South Carolina |
| Died | September 8, 1871 (aged 74) |
| Fields | Zoology |
| Alma mater |
Brown University (A.B.) University of Pennsylvania (M.D.) |
| Author abbrev. (zoology) | Holbrook |
| Spouse | Harriott Pinckney Rutledge |
John Edwards Holbrook (December 31, 1796 – September 8, 1871) was an American zoologist, herpetologist, physician, and naturalist, born in Beaufort, South Carolina, the son of Silas Holbrook, a teacher, and Mary Edwards. Although Holbrook's memoir, written by his medical partner, and his tombstone both give the date 1794 for his birth, this is incorrect. Holbrook received his A.B. degree from Brown University in 1815, and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1818. In 1827, he married Harriott Pinckney Rutledge (1802–1863), granddaughter of John Rutledge and a member of the Middleton-Rutledge-Pinckney family.
He provided the first comprehensive illustrated account of North American Amphibians & Reptiles in the two editions of his North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. The first edition in four volumes (1836–1840) is very rare because Holbrook attempted to destroy all copies in a bonfire in his backyard over unfavorable criticism of the colored plates. Because of its rarity, the first edition has been digitized and made freely available by the Biodiversity Heritage Library. The second edition in five volumes (1842) was better received and is still an important benchmark reference work. Among the new species which he described in these works are the brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota), the brown snake (Storeria dekayi) and the ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata).
The eastern spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrookii), the earless lizard genus Holbrookia, the speckled kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki) and the spottail pinfish (Diplodus holbrookii) are named in his honor.
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