William Wood (zoologist) facts for kids

William Wood (1774–1857) was an English expert in animals and insects. He started his career as a surgeon, but later became famous for his books about nature. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and the Linnean Society, which are important groups for scientists.

He was born in a place called Kendal in Westmorland. William Wood trained to be a surgeon at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He worked as a surgeon for several years in Wingham, near Canterbury, and also in London.

However, he decided to leave medicine. Instead, he became a bookseller and publisher focusing on natural history. He also became a naturalist himself, which means he studied nature.

William Wood wrote many books about natural history. He was especially interested in Mollusca, which are soft-bodied animals like snails, clams, and octopuses. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1812 and was also a Fellow of the Linnean Society. These are very respected groups for scientists in the United Kingdom.

He passed away in Ruislip, Middlesex.

William Wood's Books

William Wood wrote several important books that helped people learn about animals and insects. Here are some of his famous works:

• Shells of the World: Index testaceologicus (published in 1818, with a second edition in 1828) was a huge catalog of shells. It included shells from Britain and other countries. The book used the Linnean system to organize them, which is a way of classifying living things. It also had Latin and English names, and showed where the shells were found. This book was special because it had 2,300 pictures of different shells!
• British Insects: Index entomologicus (published in 1839) was a complete catalog of butterflies and moths found in Great Britain. This book was also full of pictures, showing 1,944 different insects.
• Lamarck's Shells: In 1843, he published An illustrated, enlarged, and English edition of Lamarck's Species of shells. This book was an updated English version of a famous work by another naturalist named Lamarck. William Wood added many new species of shells that Lamarck had not included, and he made sure to add clear pictures of almost all the shells described.