Richard Quiller Couch
Encyclopedia
Richard Quiller Couch, British
naturalist, eldest son of Jonathan Couch
, was born at Polperro
, Cornwall
, UK
on 14 March 1816. After receiving a medical education under his father and at Guy's Hospital
, London, where he gained several honours and prizes and obtained the ordinary medical qualifications, he returned to Polperro to assist his father, and employed his leisure in careful zoological study.
as a medical practitioner, and in a few years became recognised as an able zoological observer. Within a few weeks of his arrival at Penzance he was elected one of the secretaries and curators of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
, and he was for many years its president. His interesting annual addresses and many other papers on zoology by him are published in the Transactions of that society, vols. i. and ii. He contributed the third part (on the zoophytes) to the Cornish Fauna, written by his father; and an account of the natural history of West Cornwall to J. S. Courtney's Guide to Penzance, 1845. Other interesting papers on zoophytes, crustacea, and fishes were contributed by him to the Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall
, the Reports of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
, the Zoologist, Annals of Natural History, &c., all of which are recorded in Boase and Courtney's Bibliotheca Cornubiensis, i. 92–4, iii. 1138. Among these may be mentioned observations on the zoophytes of Cornwall, on the development of the frog, on the metamorphosis of the decapod crustaceans, and the natural history of the mackerel in the Polytechnic Reports for 1842 and 1844; and on the nest of the fifteen-spined stickleback in the Penzance Natural History Transactions, ii. 79–83. He contributed to John Ralfs
's British Desmidieæ, 1848, and to Thomas Bell
's British Stalk-eyed Crustacea, 1853.
, and did useful work in developing the difficult subject of Cornish fossil remains. From 1848 onwards he was curator of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
, and contributed to its Transactions several valuable papers, as well as annual reports. The diseases of the Cornish miners were a subject of his careful investigation, and his papers on the mortality of miners in the Polytechnic Reports (1857–60) are, as far as they go, of permanent value; they were translated into French.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naturalist, eldest son of Jonathan Couch
Jonathan Couch
Jonathan Couch was a British naturalist, the only child of Richard and Philippa Couch, of a family long resident at Polperro, a small fishing village between Looe and Fowey, on the south coast of Cornwall.-Biography:...
, was born at Polperro
Polperro
Polperro is a village and fishing harbour on the south-east Cornwall coast in South West England, UK, within the civil parish of Lansallos. Situated on the River Pol, 4 miles west of the neighbouring town of Looe and west of the major city and naval port of Plymouth, it is well-known for...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 14 March 1816. After receiving a medical education under his father and at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
, London, where he gained several honours and prizes and obtained the ordinary medical qualifications, he returned to Polperro to assist his father, and employed his leisure in careful zoological study.
Zoology
In 1845 he settled in PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
as a medical practitioner, and in a few years became recognised as an able zoological observer. Within a few weeks of his arrival at Penzance he was elected one of the secretaries and curators of the Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society
Penzance Natural History and Antiquarian Society was a local society founded in Penzance in Cornwall, England, UK, whose aim was "the cultivation of the science of Natural History, and for the investigation of the Antiquities referring to the early inhabitants." It was established at a public...
, and he was for many years its president. His interesting annual addresses and many other papers on zoology by him are published in the Transactions of that society, vols. i. and ii. He contributed the third part (on the zoophytes) to the Cornish Fauna, written by his father; and an account of the natural history of West Cornwall to J. S. Courtney's Guide to Penzance, 1845. Other interesting papers on zoophytes, crustacea, and fishes were contributed by him to the Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall
Royal Institution of Cornwall
The Royal Institution of Cornwall was founded in Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom, in 1818 as the Cornwall Literary and Philosophical Institution. The Institution was one of the earliest of seven similar societies established in England and Wales. The RIC moved to its present site in River Street...
, the Reports of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promote innovation in the arts and sciences...
, the Zoologist, Annals of Natural History, &c., all of which are recorded in Boase and Courtney's Bibliotheca Cornubiensis, i. 92–4, iii. 1138. Among these may be mentioned observations on the zoophytes of Cornwall, on the development of the frog, on the metamorphosis of the decapod crustaceans, and the natural history of the mackerel in the Polytechnic Reports for 1842 and 1844; and on the nest of the fifteen-spined stickleback in the Penzance Natural History Transactions, ii. 79–83. He contributed to John Ralfs
John Ralfs
John Ralfs was an English botanist. Born in Millbrook, near Southampton, he was the second son of Samuel Ralfs, a yeoman of an old family in Hampshire...
's British Desmidieæ, 1848, and to Thomas Bell
Thomas Bell (zoologist)
Thomas Bell FRS was an English zoologist, surgeon and writer, born in Poole, Dorset, UK.Bell, like his mother Susan, took a keen interest in natural history which his mother also encouraged in his younger cousin Philip Henry Gosse. Bell left Poole in 1813 for his training as a dental surgeon in...
's British Stalk-eyed Crustacea, 1853.
Geology
Couch was also interested in Cornish geologyGeology of Cornwall
The Geology of Cornwall is dominated by its granite backbone, part of the Cornubian batholith, formed during the Variscan orogeny. Around this is an extensive metamorphic aureole formed in the mainly Devonian slates that make up most of the rest of the county...
, and did useful work in developing the difficult subject of Cornish fossil remains. From 1848 onwards he was curator of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall is a geological society based in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1814 to promote the study of the geology of Cornwall, and is the second oldest geological society in the world....
, and contributed to its Transactions several valuable papers, as well as annual reports. The diseases of the Cornish miners were a subject of his careful investigation, and his papers on the mortality of miners in the Polytechnic Reports (1857–60) are, as far as they go, of permanent value; they were translated into French.
Death
Couch died, in the full vigour of his powers, on 8 May 1863, aged 47, leaving a widow and four children.External links
- Richard Quiller Couch - an outstanding nineteenth century general practitioner in The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners