Wesley Newcomb
Encyclopedia
Wesley Newcomb was an American Physician
and malacologist specializing in land snail
s.
) and Castleton Medical College
in Vermont
.
He traveled to San Francisco in 1849, and Honolulu, Hawaii
in 1850.
He went into practice with Dr. William Hillebrand
who married his stepdaughter Anna Post on November 16, 1852. He identified over a hundred new species of snails.
In 1856 he returned to New York, and then Europe in 1857. In 1858 he practiced in Oakland, California
. In 1867 his collection was bought by Ezra Cornell
, and he moved to Cornell University
. From 1870-1888 he was curator of the Cornell Museum.
He died in Ithaca, New York
on January 26, 1892.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and malacologist specializing in land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
s.
Life
Wesley Newcomb was born in New York 20 October 1808. His father was physician Simon Newcomb. He studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical College (now Thomas Jefferson UniversityThomas Jefferson University
Thomas Jefferson University is a private health sciences university in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The university consists of six constituent colleges and schools, Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson School of Health...
) and Castleton Medical College
Castleton Medical College Building
Castleton Medical College Building is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on South Street in Castleton, Vermont. It was the first medical college in Vermont.It was built in 1818 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971....
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
He traveled to San Francisco in 1849, and Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
in 1850.
He went into practice with Dr. William Hillebrand
William Hillebrand
William Hillebrand was a German physician. He traveled the world, including over 20 years in the Hawaiian islands. In 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. He also became known as a botanist.-Life and career:...
who married his stepdaughter Anna Post on November 16, 1852. He identified over a hundred new species of snails.
In 1856 he returned to New York, and then Europe in 1857. In 1858 he practiced in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. In 1867 his collection was bought by Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell
Ezra Cornell was an American businessman and education administrator. He was a founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University...
, and he moved to Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. From 1870-1888 he was curator of the Cornell Museum.
He died in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
on January 26, 1892.
Some species named by Newcomb
- Modiola peasei Newcomb, 1870 : synonym of Amygdalum peasei (Newcomb, 1870)
- Mya hemphilli Newcomb, 1874 : synonym of Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758
- Proto cornelliana Newcomb, 1870 : synonym of Turbonilla varicosa (A. Adams, 1855)
Further reading
- Clarke A. H. (1960) Catalogue and illustrations of mollusks described by Wesley Newcomb with a biographical resume. Bulletins of American paleontology 41(188): 136-160.