author
Adam Sedgwick
1854–1913
A leading British zoologist of the late Victorian and Edwardian era, he is best remembered for work that helped clarify the place of the strange creature Peripatus in animal evolution. He also wrote influential textbooks that helped shape how zoology was taught to generations of students.
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, Adam Sedgwick grew up in Dent, Yorkshire, and went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge. He became known for careful research in embryology and comparative anatomy, building a reputation as one of Britain’s important zoologists.
Sedgwick is especially associated with his studies of Peripatus, an unusual wormlike animal whose features helped scientists think more clearly about evolutionary relationships between major animal groups. Alongside his research, he was also an important teacher, serving at Cambridge and later as Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at Imperial College, London.
He is also remembered as the author of A Student's Text-Book of Zoology, a substantial work that brought together a wide range of biological knowledge for students and general readers. He died in London on February 27, 1913, leaving behind both original scientific research and books that continued to be used after his death.