Francisco Minà Palumbo
Encyclopedia
Francisco Minà Palumbo was an Italian
naturalist
who made the first significant studies of the natural history of Sicily
.
Palumbo graduated in medicine at the Palermitano Athenaeum. He then continued his studies in Naples
. He returned to Castelbuono both a medical doctor and a professional agronomist
and began, in his spare time, the systematic exploration of Madonie :it:Madonie making collections and finding and documenting the geology
, hydrology
, climate
, botany
and zoology
of the region. This culminated in 1844 with his first published work Introduzione alla Storia Naturale delle Madonie (Introduction to the Natural History of Madonie).
Francisco Minà Palumbo wrote 402 articles on natural history, medicine and general subjects relating to the Madonita territory. The more important are the Il Catalogo dei Mammiferi della Sicilia (Catalogue of the Mammals of Sicily) (1868 ), Materiali per la fauna lepitterologica della Sicilia (Material for the Lepidoptera fauna of Sicily) (1899) written in collaboration with his student Luigi Failla Tedaldi and Proverbi Agrarj (1853 - 1855) in Annali di Agricoltura. His herbarium, zoological and entomological collections and documents are in Museo Naturalistico Francesco Minà Palumbo in Castelbuono.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
who made the first significant studies of the natural history of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Palumbo graduated in medicine at the Palermitano Athenaeum. He then continued his studies in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. He returned to Castelbuono both a medical doctor and a professional agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
and began, in his spare time, the systematic exploration of Madonie :it:Madonie making collections and finding and documenting the geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, hydrology
Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability...
, climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
, botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
of the region. This culminated in 1844 with his first published work Introduzione alla Storia Naturale delle Madonie (Introduction to the Natural History of Madonie).
Francisco Minà Palumbo wrote 402 articles on natural history, medicine and general subjects relating to the Madonita territory. The more important are the Il Catalogo dei Mammiferi della Sicilia (Catalogue of the Mammals of Sicily) (1868 ), Materiali per la fauna lepitterologica della Sicilia (Material for the Lepidoptera fauna of Sicily) (1899) written in collaboration with his student Luigi Failla Tedaldi and Proverbi Agrarj (1853 - 1855) in Annali di Agricoltura. His herbarium, zoological and entomological collections and documents are in Museo Naturalistico Francesco Minà Palumbo in Castelbuono.