| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Leach was born in Plymouth, the son of a solicitor. At the age of twelve he went to school in Exeter, studying anatomy and chemistry. By this time he was already collecting marine samples from Plymouth Sound and along the Devon coast.At seventeen he began studying medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, finishing his qualification at Edinburgh University and St Andrews University.
In 1813 Leach returned to his zoological interests and was employed as assistant librarian in the Zoological Department at the British MuseumThe British Museum is one of the world's greatest and most famous museums. It was established in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and scientist who collected lots of literature and art, on its present site at Montague House in London, United Kingdom,. He set himself to sorting out the collections, many of which had been neglected since they had been left to the museum by Hans SloaneSir Hans Sloane ( 1660- 1753) was an Ulster-Scot collector and physician. He was born on April 16, 1660 at Killyleagh in County Down, Ireland, where his father had settled as the head of a Scottish colony sent over by James I. Even as a youth, he collecte. During his time there he was made assistant keeper of the natural history department and became an expert on crustaceanCrustaceans Hyalella azteca Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum Crustacea Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,s and molluskCaudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Chitons Monoplacophora Bivalvia Bivalves Scaphopoda Tusk shells Gastropoda Snails and Slugs Cephalopoda Squids, Octopuses, etc. The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca which includes a vars. He also worked on insectSubclass Apterygota Symphypleona globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Palaeodictyoptera extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata ( dragonfls, mammalSubclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorps and birds.
Leach's nomenclature was a little eccentric - he named twenty-seven species after his friend John Cranch, who had collected the species in Africa and later died on HMS Congo. In 1818 he named nine genera after Caroline or anagrams of that name, possibly after his mistress.
In 1821 he suffered a nervous breakdown due to overwork and resigned from the museum in March 1822. His elder sister took him to continental Europe to convalesce, and they travelled through France, Italy and Greece. He died of cholera in the Palazzo San Sebastiano, near Tortona, north of Genoa.
The Leach's Storm-petrel was named after him by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot. A specimen of this bird had been purchased by Leach on behalf of the British Museum for £5 15s in the sale of the collection of William Bullock in 1819. At the same sale he also bought a Great Auk and an egg for just over £16.
The Blue-winged Kookaburra Dacelo leachii was also named for him.
Leach's written works during his time at the British Museum include the following: