“H” is for Holbrook, John Edwards (1794-1871). Physician, naturalist. A native of Beaufort, Holbrook was a graduate of Brown University. He studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and in Europe. Returning to South Carolina he established a medical practice in Charleston. From 1824 until 1860, he was on the faculty of the Medical College of South Carolina. Holbrook was interested in comparative anatomy and decided to study reptiles and amphibians. His book, North American Herptology was the first comprehensive work on reptiles and amphibians of North America. He then turned to the study of fishes and in the 1870s published Ichthyology of South Carolina. Holbrook’s numerous publications and his research made him one of the greatest of the pioneering American naturalists. In 1868, John Edwards Holbrook was elected to the National Academy of Science.
“H” is for Holbrook, John Edwards (1794-1871)
