Gideon Mantell

Gideon Algernon Mantell (February 3rd 1790 - November 10th 1852) is a obstetrician, geologist and British paleontologist . He discovers the first Fossile identified like coming from a Dinosaure: Tooth S of Iguanodon. Following this discovery, he is prize winner of the Royal Medal.

Biography

Mantell was born with Lewes, in the Sussex. He becomes obstetrician but has also a passion for geology. He has an doctor's office with Lewes. Geology occupies its spare time. The fossils which it collects in this area are of marine origin and come from Chalk, an old subdivision of the higher Crétacé . Starting from 1819, Mantell starts to acquire Fossile S coming from a career, Withman' S Green close to Cukfield. They include remainders of terrestrial animals and fresh water at one time when the only specimens of the English Cretaceous are of marine origin. It names this layer layer of the forest Tilgate according to the name of a wooded surface. Later it will be shown that these fossils come from Crétacé inferior.

In 1820 it starts to discover very large bones, even larger than those discovered by William Buckland with Stonesfield in the Oxfordshire. In 1822, just after having published its first book The Fossils off South Downs gold Illustrations off the Geology off Sussex (fossils of South Downs or an illustration of the geology of Sussex) , it finds several Dent S (although some Historien S credit his wife with discovered) whose it cannot identify the origin. Mantell the watch with other scientists who reject them by regarding them as coming from Poisson S or Mammifère S and stratigraphic layers more recent than that of the other fossils of the forest of Tilgate. Eminent the anatomist French Georges Cuvier identifies them as being those of a Rhinocéros. Mantell is convinced to him that they come well from layers of the Mesozoic and finally recognizes that they resemble those of a Iguane but twenty times larger. From that, it estimates the size of the owner of the teeth at least 20 meters length.

It in vain tries to convince its pars which the fossils date from the Mesozoic by studying the rock layers carefully from where they come. Richard Owen is one of the principal detractors of Mantell while protesting that the teeth come from a Mammifère. Years later, Mantell discovers sufficient fossils to show that the legs before animal are much shorter than the back legs, thus disqualifying any possible origin of a mammal. It also shows that the fossils of Vertébrés that Owen allots to several different animals come all from Iguanodon S.

In 1825 it introduces to a Notice one the Iguanodon, has Newly Discovered Fossil Reptile, from the Sandstone off Tilgate Forest, in Sussex (Note on the iguanodon, a fossil reptile lately discovered, coming from the sandstone of the forest of Tilgate in Sussex) with the Royal Society. Its presentation is received with acclamations. He is elected member of the Royal Society, which confers the royal Médaille to him and becomes honorary member of the Institut of Paris. He is also rewarded by the Médaille Wollaston decreed by the Geological Society off London.

In 1833 Mantell moves with Brighton but its medical practice declines and it is practically relieved before the council of the city does not transform its house into museum. In 1839, Mary Mantell leaves her husband. The museum of Brighton is a failure because of the practice of Mantell not to make pay the entry. Mantell sells all the collection.

Mantell has an accident of transport with for consequence a wound debilitating with the Spinal column. It continues nevertheless to study fossils and publishes many books and articles until its death.

In 1852 Mantell dies of an overdose of Opium which it takes to calm its pains. Its autopsy shows that he suffered from a Scoliose. Richard Owen, his enemy of always, recovers a portion of its spinal column and the preserve to off hang it to a wall Royal College Suckers off England. This “ relic ” is lost during the Second world war, probably during a bombardment.

In 2000 a monument in homage to its contributions is set up with Cukfield with the site of its discovery of the fossil first of iguanodon.

References

Dean, Refusals R. Gideon Mantell and the Discovery off Dinosaurs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Near, 1999. ISBN 0-521-42048-2
McGowan, Christopher. The Seekers Dragon: How year Extraordinary Circle off Fossilists Discovered the Dinosaurs and Paved the Way for Darwin. Cambridge: Perseus Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-7382-0282-7

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