Toward the Science of Entomology
Overview
In the eighteenth century entomology, the study of insects, developed as a separate branch of the life sciences. At the beginning of the century, it was not clear precisely what an insect was, with many organisms including spiders and worms being referred to as insects. By the beginning of the next century it was clear that the class of insects was defined as those invertebrates (animals without backbones) having three pairs legs and segmented bodies. It was primarily through the work of two men, Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680) and René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683-1757), that the study of insects blossomed. Although Swammerdam's work was done in the previous century, most of it remained unpublished until 1737, so it was only then that it influenced other researchers' views on insects. Réaumur's six-volume study of insects appeared between 1734 and 1742.
Background
Swammerdam and Réaumur were interested in different aspects of insect life, with Swammerdam focusing on development and Réaumur on behavior. Swammerdam was Dutch and also did extensive work in animal physiology. He attempted to disprove the old assumption, originating with Aristotle, that insects were less perfect than other so-called "higher" animals such as those with backbones.
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