Giovanni Giuseppe Bianconi
Giovanni Giuseppe Bianconi, sometimes J. Josephi or Joseph Bianconi, (31 July 1809, Bologna – 18 October 1878, Bologna) was an Italian zoologist, herpetologist, botanist and geologist.
Career
Bianconi was a Professor of Natural History at the University of Bologna. In the field of herpetology he described several new species of amphibians and reptiles.[1][2]
In 1874, Bianconi published a book on "independent creations", which utilized zoological arguments against Darwinism.[3] The first edition was printed in French and contained a letter to Charles Darwin. The book sold well and Bianconi and his son Giovanni Antonio published a revised Italian edition in 1875.[3] Bianconi argued that "enlightened application of laws of mechanics, physics, physiology" led to the conclusion that every part of an organism had been created by the "unlimited intelligence" of God.[3]
Bianconi argued that homologous structures are explained on mechanical principles. Darwin briefly mentioned Bianconi and rejected his arguments in a footnote in his The Descent of Man.[4]
Selected publications
- Sul sistema vascolare delle foglie considerato come carattere distintivo [sic] per la determinazione delle filliti, del Dottor Giuseppe Bianconi. Bologna, Marsigli. (1838)[5]
- Storia naturale dei terreni ardenti, dei vulcani fangosi. Bologna. (1840)
- Specimina Zoologica Mosambicana, fasciculus IV, V. (Mollusca) Memorie della Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna, volume 3, pages 3–18, 91-112, plate. (1850, 1851)
- Repertorio Italiano per la Storia Naturale. Zoologiam, Mineralogiam, Geolgiam, Palaentologiam. Bologna. (1854)[5]
- La Theorie Darwinienne et la creation dite independante (1874). An "anti" Darwinist work claiming that homologous structures are explained on mechanical principles.
See also
References
- ↑ Amphibian Species of the World, 5.5, an Online Reference. research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia.
- ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- 1 2 3 Kölbl-Ebert, Martina. (2009). Geology and Religion: A History of Harmony and Hostility. The Geological Society. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-86239-269-4
- ↑ Darwin, Charles. (1888). The Descent of Man. London: John Murray. p. 24
- 1 2 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6644
- Sarjeant, William A. S. 1980-96. Geologists and the History of Geology: An International Bibliography. 10 vols. including supplements. London: Macmillan. Florida: Krieger Publishing.
Further reading
- Giuliano Pancaldi. (1991). Darwin in Italy: Science Across Cultural Frontiers. Indiana University Press.
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