William Adams and the spine of Gideon Algernon Mantell

ideon Mantell was born in Sussex in 1790, the son of abootmaker (Fig. 1). Although frugally educated, hebecame a surgeon and Fellow of The Royal College ofSurgeons. He practiced initially in Lewes, where hedevoted every spare moment to the study of geology andthe excavation of fossils in local quarries. He became one ofthe leading scientists of the early 19th century. It becameapparent to him and others that the fossils were not thoseof crocodiles and lizards, but of hitherto unrecognisedgiant reptiles – the dinosaurs. He was elected a Fellow ofThe Royal Society and eventually won its Gold Medal, thehighest honour it could bestow. His discoveries were animportant element of the understanding of evolution. Hisideas were controversial and he was involved in variousscientific disputes.His devotion to geology lead to the breakdown of hismarriage. He moved his practice from Lewes to nearby andfashionable Brighton, in search of wealthy sponsors for hisresearch. Then he moved to Clapham in south London. Thelast 6 years of his life were spent in Chester Square,Pimlico, where he died.Details of his life can be gleaned from his journal, whichnow resides in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington,New Zealand. Much of it was published in 1940.