Gideon Mantell (3 February 1790 - 10 November 1852). Gideon Mantell was a local doctor whose interest in fossils lead to his 1822 discovery near his h
Gideon Mantell (3 February 1790 - 10 November 1852). Gideon Mantell was a local doctor whose interest in fossils lead to his 1822 discovery near his home in Lewes of the first Iguanodon fossils (the second dinosaur discovered after Bucklands Megalosaurus). He went on to discover the third Dinosaur, Hylaeosaurus. His work formed a largely unacknowledged underpinning of Richard Owen's recognition and naming of the Dinosaur tribe in 1841/2. A somewhat tragic figure, his palaeontology led to fame but a loss of fortune. His family left him and he was often near bankruptcy. In 1841 he suffered a debilitating accident. He is reported to have become a bitter rival of Sir Richard Owen. After Mantell's death a section of his scoliotic spine was removed and stored at the RCS. Engraved from a painting by Samuel Stepney (1837), later hand colouring. Published in G. Mantell's 'Thoughts on a Pebble' 1849.
Size: 3413px × 5120px
Photo credit: © PAUL D STEWART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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