Giovanni Giuseppe Bianconi

Giovanni Giuseppe Bianconi, sometimes J. Josephi or Joseph Bianconi, (31 July 1809 in Bologna – 18 October 1878 in 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

He published numerous papers, in both Italian and Latin, in the journal Novi Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Instituti Bononiensis (beginning in 1844) and its successor Memorie della Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna (from 1850 onward).[6][7]

See also

References
  1. Amphibian Species of the World, 5.5, an Online Reference. research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia.
  2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  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
  4. Darwin, Charles. (1888). The Descent of Man. London: John Murray. p. 24
  5. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/6644
  6. "Novi Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Instituti Bononiensis". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  7. "Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  • 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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