Francesco Castracane degli Antelminelli
Encyclopedia
Francesco Castracane degli Antelminelli (b. Fano
, Italy, 19 July 1817; d. Rome 27 March 1899) was an Italian naturalist.
He was educated at the Jesuits' school in Reggio Emilia
, and was ordained priest in 1840. Four years later he was made canon
of the cathedral in Fano, and at the same time resumed his studies at the Collegio dei Nobili in Rome. In 1852 he resigned his canonry, and took up his residence in Rome. Castracane had a love of nature, and during the latter half of his life devoted himself to biological research. He was reportedly one of the first to introduce microphotography into the study of biology. His first experiments in applying the camera to the microscope were made as early as 1862 with diatomaceæ, and he subsequently made these microorganisms his chief study. He investigated their structure and physiological functions and, particularly in his last years, their processes of reproduction, also on account of its bearing on some of the problems of biology, geology, and even hydrography
.
The extensive collections of diatomaceæ obtained by the Challenger Expedition
were entrusted to him for description and classification. He discovered among them three new genera
, two hundred and twenty-five new species, and some thirty new varieties. He was the author of a large number of papers, published chiefly in the proceedings of the Accademia dei Nuovi Lincei
, over whose meetings he presided for many years.
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
, Italy, 19 July 1817; d. Rome 27 March 1899) was an Italian naturalist.
He was educated at the Jesuits' school in Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia is an affluent city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 170,000 inhabitants and is the main comune of the Province of Reggio Emilia....
, and was ordained priest in 1840. Four years later he was made canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the cathedral in Fano, and at the same time resumed his studies at the Collegio dei Nobili in Rome. In 1852 he resigned his canonry, and took up his residence in Rome. Castracane had a love of nature, and during the latter half of his life devoted himself to biological research. He was reportedly one of the first to introduce microphotography into the study of biology. His first experiments in applying the camera to the microscope were made as early as 1862 with diatomaceæ, and he subsequently made these microorganisms his chief study. He investigated their structure and physiological functions and, particularly in his last years, their processes of reproduction, also on account of its bearing on some of the problems of biology, geology, and even hydrography
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
.
The extensive collections of diatomaceæ obtained by the Challenger Expedition
Challenger expedition
The Challenger expedition of 1872–76 was a scientific exercise that made many discoveries to lay the foundation of oceanography. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger....
were entrusted to him for description and classification. He discovered among them three new genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
, two hundred and twenty-five new species, and some thirty new varieties. He was the author of a large number of papers, published chiefly in the proceedings of the Accademia dei Nuovi Lincei
Accademia dei Lincei
The Accademia dei Lincei, , is an Italian science academy, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy....
, over whose meetings he presided for many years.
Further reading
- Photograph, in the Natural History MuseumNatural History MuseumThe Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...