author
Adam Sedgwick
1854–1913
A pioneering British zoologist, he helped shape how scientists understood animal development and evolution in the late nineteenth century. His research on Peripatus and other invertebrates made him an important voice in comparative anatomy and embryology.
1 Audiobook
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 05 (of 10)
by Adam Sedgwick, David Sharp, F. G. (Frederick Granville) Sinclair
About the author
Born in Norwich on September 28, 1854, and raised in Dent, Yorkshire, Adam Sedgwick studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he came under the influence of leading biologists including Francis Maitland Balfour. He later became a fellow of Trinity and built a strong reputation as a teacher and researcher in zoology.
Sedgwick is best known for his work in comparative anatomy and embryology, especially his studies of Peripatus, a creature that drew attention for the way it seemed to link major groups of animals. His research helped clarify ideas about animal structure, development, and evolution at a time when zoology was changing quickly.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1886 and later served as Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at Imperial College, London. He died in London on February 27, 1913, leaving behind a body of scientific writing that kept his name well known in British zoology.