Prosper Garnot

January 13, 1794 (age 44)

Brest, France

Garnot became an assistant surgeon in the French navy in 1811. After several voyages to Cayenne and Martinique as a naturalist in 1817-1818, he worked in the Antilles from 1819 to 1822. In August 1822 he joined Duperrey’s world voyage on the French corvette Coquille. Garnot and the pharmacist R. P. Lesson were to serve as naturalists for the expedition. After visiting the Falkland Island and adding much to geographical knowledge of them, the expedition rounded Cape Horn and crossed the Pacific. In the autumn of 1823 Garnot visited the southern Moluccas, New Zealand, and the island of New Guinea, and in January 1824 the Coquille went to Port Jackson for repairs. Garnot fell ill and returned to Europe on a merchantman, taking a great part of the expedition’s collected material with him. Nearly all of this material was lost by shipwreck in July 1824. During the Coquille’s voyage, Garnot paid special attention to the vertebrate animals and to several human tribes in the South Pacific. He collected and measured a number of skulls from these tribes and described the Alfurs, a little-known people who inhabit the interior of New Guinea. In addition, he found a plant, which was named garnotia. The results of the voyage were published by Duperrey as Voyage autour du monde exéeuté par ordre du roi sur la corvette La Coquille pendant les années 1822-1825. The first section of this work, dealing with zoology, was written by Garnot and Lesson. Garnot became surgeon first-class in 1825, and from that time to 1828 he worked at hospitals in Brest. He then became second surgeon in Martinique, where he worked as an obstetrician after his retirement in 1833.

Prosper Garnot

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naturalist scientist Surgeon

Background

Prosper Garnot was born on January 13, 1794, in Brest, France.

Education

Prosper received the Doctor of Medicine from the University of Paris in 1822 with the thesis “Essais sur le choléra morbus.”

Career

Garnot became an assistant surgeon in the French navy in 1811. After several voyages to Cayenne and Martinique as a naturalist in 1817-1818, he worked in the Antilles from 1819 to 1822. In August 1822 he joined Duperrey’s world voyage on the French corvette Coquille. Garnot and the pharmacist R. P. Lesson were to serve as naturalists for the expedition.

After visiting the Falkland Island and adding much to geographical knowledge of them, the expedition rounded Cape Horn and crossed the Pacific. In the autumn of 1823 Garnot visited the southern Moluccas, New Zealand, and the island of New Guinea, and in January 1824 the Coquille went to Port Jackson for repairs. Garnot fell ill and returned to Europe on a merchantman, taking a great part of the expedition’s collected material with him. Nearly all of this material was lost by shipwreck in July 1824.

During the Coquille’s voyage, Garnot paid special attention to the vertebrate animals and to several human tribes in the South Pacific. He collected and measured a number of skulls from these tribes and described the Alfurs, a little-known people who inhabit the interior of New Guinea. In addition, he found a plant, which was named garnotia.

The results of the voyage were published by Duperrey as Voyage autour du monde exéeuté par ordre du roi sur la corvette La Coquille pendant les années 1822-1825. The first section of this work, dealing with zoology, was written by Garnot and Lesson.

Garnot became surgeon first-class in 1825, and from that time to 1828 he worked at hospitals in Brest. He then became second surgeon in Martinique, where he worked as an obstetrician after his retirement in 1833.

Achievements

Prosper Garnot was an eminent naturalist. Along with René Lesson he collected numerous natural history specimens in South America and the Pacific during Duperrey’s world voyage. The widely distributed parthenogenetic Indo-Pacific house gecko Hemidactylus garnotii was named in his honour.

Membership

Garnot was a member of the Académie Royale des Médecins.

Connections

colleague:: René Lesson

References

Dictionary of Scientific Biography

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Connections

colleague: René Lesson

Connections

Prosper Garnot

Background

Education

Career

Achievements

Membership

Connections

References

Born

Died

Nationality

Education

1822

Career

1811 - 1819

1819 - 1822

1822 - 1825

1825 - 1828

1828 - 1833

1833 - 1838

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