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{{Short description|English entomologist (1803–1871)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Other people}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
[[File:Henry-denny.webp|thumb]]
'''Henry Denny''' (1803–1871) was an English museum curator at the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society as well as an [[entomologist]]. He is known as an authority on parasites. He authored a monograph in 1842 concerning a species of British lice, known as Anoplura.
'''Henry Denny''' (1803 – 7 March 1871) was an English [[entomologist]], known as an authority on parasitic insects. He served as the first curator of the Leeds Museum. His son Alfred Denny became a professor of zoology at the University of Sheffield.


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==Life==
A good friend of Charles Darwin, Denny would correspond with Darwin throughout his lifetime. He is referenced in Darwin's most well-known ideological treatise "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". Darwin used information he had gleaned from letters Denny had sent him to support one of his theories on race. One of these pieces of correspondence can be found in Part One of Darwin's book, in the section entitled "Race":
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[[File:Ricinus bombycillae (Denny, 1842).JPG|thumb|upright|left|A bird louse, ''Ricinus bombycillae'', named by Denny (1842), now in the genus ''[[Amblycera]]'']]
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Denny was born in Norwich. He became interested in entomology through contact with [[John Curtis (entomologist)|John Curtis]] and [[William Kirby (entomologist)|William Kirby]]. In 1821, he was a guest of Kirby for a month at Barham Rectory. He became the first salaried curator of the [[Leeds Museum]], then the museum of the [[Leeds Literary and Philosophical Society]], appointed in 1826. He held that post for 45 years. Also in 1825, he published a monograph on the British species of ant-loving beetles in the genus ''[[Pselaphus]]''. In 1832 he lectured on botany at the Leeds School of Medicine. The [[British Association for the Advancement of Science]] in 1842 made a grant to Denny for the study of British [[Anoplura]]; [[William Kirby (entomologist)|William Kirby]] tried to bring him in as illustrator of his ''Introduction to Entomology'', and he contributed a few plates for it.<ref name="DNB">{{cite DNB|wstitle=Denny, Henry|volume=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Nature London: The International Weekly Journal of Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eulSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA413|year=1871|publisher=Nature Publishing Group|page=413}}</ref> Denny was elected Associate of the Linnean Society in 1843. He also served as a secretary to the Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society from 1845 until his death.<ref>{{cite journal |title=[Biographical notices] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eScLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA244 |journal=Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society | date=1889 |volume=10 |pages=244–248 |doi=10.1144/pygs.10.1.23 | doi-broken-date=27 August 2024 |ref=none |no-tracking=yes<!-- prevents error categorization -->}}</ref>


A good friend of [[Charles Darwin]], Henry Denny was asked if lice affecting humans could have speciated in different parts of the world. Denny's response would be included in his treatise "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". Denny's response to Darwin found its way into the book:<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Radick |first1=Gregory |last2=Steadman |first2=Mark |date=2021 |title=Of lice and men: Charles Darwin, Henry Denny and the evidence for the human races as varieties or species |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2058850X21000102/type/journal_article |journal=BJHS Themes |language=en |volume=6 |pages=81–95 |doi=10.1017/bjt.2021.10 |issn=2058-850X}}</ref> "I am informed by Mr. Denny that the most different kinds of dogs, fowls, and pigeons, in England, are infested by the same species of Pediculi or lice."
"...And yet, on Martial's testimony, humans no different from each other than Englishmen and Sandwich Islanders carried lice so different from each other that there was no cross-infestation."


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Denny died at [[Leeds]] in 1871, at the age of 68.<ref name="DNB"/>
Charles Darwin would nonetheless use this somewhat banal and bland passage as supporting evidence in his treatise to claim racial inequality as a sort of "necessary evil". His audience, found at all levels of European and colonial societies, would cling to Darwin's efforts. His work was taken as scientific fact and used as evidence in favour of a long-held belief that racial inequality belonged to a fault of nature, and therefore, was God.


==Life==
==Works==
⚫
Denny was the first salaried curator of the [[Leeds Museum]], then the museum of the [[Leeds Literary and Philosophical Society]], appointed in 1825. He held that post for 45 years. Also in 1825, he published a monograph on the British species of ant-loving beetles in the genus ''[[Pselaphus]]''. The [[British Association for the Advancement of Science]] in 1842 made a grant to Denny for the study of British [[Anoplura]]; [[William Kirby (entomologist)|William Kirby]] tried to bring him in as illustrator of his ''Introduction to Entomology'', though without success.<ref name="DNB">{{cite DNB|wstitle=Denny, Henry|volume=14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Nature London: The International Weekly Journal of Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eulSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA413|year=1871|publisher=Nature Publishing Group|page=413}}</ref>


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Denny died at [[Leeds]] on 7 March 1871, at the age of 68.<ref name="DNB"/>

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==Works==
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[[File:Ricinus bombycillae (Denny, 1842).JPG|thumb|''Ricinus bombycillae'', named by Denny (1842), from the genus ''[[Amblycera]]'' of parasites]]
Denny's published writings were:<ref name="DNB"/>
Denny's published writings were:<ref name="DNB"/>


Latest revision as of 00:51, 27 August 2024

For other people named Henry Denny, see Henry Denny (disambiguation).

Henry Denny (1803 – 7 March 1871) was an English entomologist, known as an authority on parasitic insects. He served as the first curator of the Leeds Museum. His son Alfred Denny became a professor of zoology at the University of Sheffield.

Life

[edit]
A bird louse, Ricinus bombycillae, named by Denny (1842), now in the genus Amblycera

Denny was born in Norwich. He became interested in entomology through contact with John Curtis and William Kirby. In 1821, he was a guest of Kirby for a month at Barham Rectory. He became the first salaried curator of the Leeds Museum, then the museum of the Leeds Literary and Philosophical Society, appointed in 1826. He held that post for 45 years. Also in 1825, he published a monograph on the British species of ant-loving beetles in the genus Pselaphus. In 1832 he lectured on botany at the Leeds School of Medicine. The British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1842 made a grant to Denny for the study of British Anoplura; William Kirby tried to bring him in as illustrator of his Introduction to Entomology, and he contributed a few plates for it.[1][2] Denny was elected Associate of the Linnean Society in 1843. He also served as a secretary to the Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society from 1845 until his death.[3]

A good friend of Charles Darwin, Henry Denny was asked if lice affecting humans could have speciated in different parts of the world. Denny's response would be included in his treatise "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". Denny's response to Darwin found its way into the book:[4] "I am informed by Mr. Denny that the most different kinds of dogs, fowls, and pigeons, in England, are infested by the same species of Pediculi or lice."

Denny died at Leeds in 1871, at the age of 68.[1]

Works

[edit]

Denny's published writings were:[1]

  • Monographia Pselaphorum et Scydmænorum Britanniæ; or an Essay on the British species of the genera Pselaphus of Herbst, and Scydmænus of Latreille, Norwich, 1825.
  • Monographia Anoplurorum Britanniæ; or an Essay on the British species of Parasitic Insects belonging to the order Anoplura of Leach, London, 1842.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888). "Denny, Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 14. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ^ Nature London: The International Weekly Journal of Science. Nature Publishing Group. 1871. p. 413.
  3. ^ "[Biographical notices]". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 10: 244–248. 1889. doi:10.1144/pygs.10.1.23 (inactive 27 August 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2024 (link)
  4. ^ Radick, Gregory; Steadman, Mark (2021). "Of lice and men: Charles Darwin, Henry Denny and the evidence for the human races as varieties or species". BJHS Themes. 6: 81–95. doi:10.1017/bjt.2021.10. ISSN 2058-850X.

Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888). "Denny, Henry". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 14. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

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