Society Of London Research Articles

(034–035) Proposals to amend Article 9.6 and Example 6

Article 9.6 of the Shenzhen Code (Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018) reads as follows: “A syntype is any specimen cited in the protologue when there is no holotype, or any one of two or more specimens simultaneously designated in the protologue as types (see also Art. 40 Note 1). Reference to an entire gathering, or a part thereof, is considered citation of the included specimens.” We feel that it would be better if a cross-reference to Art. 40 Note 2, which explains what does and does not constitute “mention of a single specimen or gathering”, were included in the definition of syntype, after “Reference to an entire gathering, or a part thereof”, to make clearer the distinction between syntypes and uncited original material (see also Prop. 010 – Prado & al. in Taxon 69: 629. 2020). “9.6. A syntype is any specimen cited in the protologue when there is no holotype, or any one of two or more specimens simultaneously designated in the protologue as types (see also Art. 40 Note 1). Reference to an entire gathering, or a part thereof (see also Art. 40 Note 2), is considered citation of the included specimens.” It is commonly considered that syntypes are plural, but a name can have a single syntype when one specimen is cited in the protologue and there is no holotype (Art. 9.6). In the protologue of Campanula pulla L. (Sp. Pl.: 163. 1753), Linnaeus cited “Burs. IV. 21”, which, according to Jarvis (Order out of Chaos: 39. 2007), precisely refers to the specimen Herb. Burser IV: 21 in UPS (V-173096; image!). There is also an uncited Jacquin specimen associated with C. pulla, Herb. Linnaeus No. 221.4 (LINN; http://linnean-online.org/774/), but it cannot be considered original material for the name, because it lacks the relevant species number (“2”) from the first edition of Species plantarum, which implies a post-1753 addition to Linnaeus's herbarium (see Jarvis, l.c.: 42–46), further supported by Jacquin's correspondence with Linnaeus beginning in 1759 (Jarvis, l.c.: 213). Linnaeus (l.c.) also cited an illustration, “Campanula foliis subrotundis” in Bauhin (Prodr.: 35. 1620). The name C. pulla has no holotype because Linnaeus did not indicate one and he used two elements (Art. 9.1). The one specimen cited in the protologue is therefore a syntype. Because there is no Example under Art. 9 of the Code showing that a name can have a single syntype, we propose to include this case as an addition to Art. 9 Ex. 6, which similarly concerns another Linnaean name that has two Burser specimens as syntypes. “Ex. 6. In the protologue of Campanula pulla L. (Sp. Pl.: 163. 1753), Linnaeus cited “Burs. IV. 21”, referring to a specimen in the Burser Herbarium (UPS), in addition to an illustration in Bauhin (Prodr.: 35. 1620). This single specimen is a syntype because it was cited in the protologue and there is no holotype. In Similarly, in the protologue of Anemone alpina L. (Sp. Pl.: 539. 1753), two specimens are cited under the (unnamed) varieties β and γ, as “Burs. IX: 80” and “Burs. IX: 81”. These specimens, held in the Burser Herbarium (UPS), are syntypes of A. alpina.” We are thankful to the Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, and Scientist “E” and Head of the Office, Central National Herbarium, Howrah for providing facilities. We also thank: N.J. Turland (Berlin) for refining the manuscript and for his helpful suggestions; Dr. Stefan Ekman and Dr. Mats Hjertson (Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University) for sending us the image of the specimen Herb. Burser IV: 21 (UPS) and their comments on the specimen; and Dr. Isabelle Charmantier and Dr. Mark A. Spencer (Linnean Society of London) for kindly informing us that the specimen Herb. Linnaeus No. 221.4 (LINN) is not original material of C. pulla.

The Engler Medal in Silver Awarded to DR. Terry Pennington and MS. Rosemary Wise

The Engler Medal in Silver is awarded for an outstanding monograph or other work in systematic botany, mycology or phycology and honors the legacy of Adolf Engler (1844–1930) in these disciplines. The Engler Medal in Silver was first awarded in 1987, at first annually, and since 2007 biennially. The 2020 Medal, for a work published in 2017–2018, has been awarded to Terry Pennington and Rosemary Wise for: “The Genus Sloanea (Elaeocarpaceae) in America”, DH Books, Milbourne Port. 447 pp. (2017). Terry Pennington has had a long and productive career studying Neotropical forests, mostly in Mexico and Peru, but also anywhere in between, producing several monographs and field guides working for the Food and Agriculture Organization and The New York Botanical Garden. Since 1999 he has been an Honorary Research Fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Rosemary Wise has been a prolific botanical artist documenting a wide variety of plant groups for several researchers for over 50 years. She is a recipient of the Jill Smythies Award from the Linnean Society of London for published botanical illustrations and the Sibthorp Medal from the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford for “Lifetime Services to Botany”. Terry and Rosemary have collaborated since the 1960s when she did the illustrations for his dissertation, and that has not stopped since, with works on Sapotaceae, Meliaceae, Inga (Fabaceae), the trees of Peru and many important botanical topics. We hope to be able to present him with the medal in person as soon as we can.

Popper and Kuhn: A Different Retrospect

Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn were friends of science because they shared some values—the value of science for humanity, especially. My thesis is that their different accounts of science could not save it from its belittlers. They failed in their defense of science unknowingly, because of what they did not do. They did not defend an Enlightenment opinion that happens to be true—namely, that a new theory of induction of the seventeenth century can be applied successfully to gain knowledge. They opposed the opinion that the “experimental philosophy” of the Royal Society in London can sometimes produce affirmative knowledge of fundamental principles, even if that sort of event is rare and hard to pull off.

YERSINIA PSEUDOTUBERCULOSIS INFECTIONS IN PRIMATES, ARTIODACTYLS, AND BIRDS WITHIN A ZOOLOGICAL FACILITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

Infection with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis can be difficult to diagnose and treat successfully. Twenty-four cases from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo were identified between 2001 and 2019. Husbandry, medical, and postmortem records for six primates, 10 artiodactyls, and eight birds were reviewed to identify common clinical signs and gross lesions. Most cases occurred during the winter; however, an outbreak in four primates occurred during the summer following a period of stress associated with increased ambient noise and activity. Common clinical signs included lethargy (6/6 primates, 4/10 artiodactyls, 4/8 birds) or death without premonitory signs (3/10 artiodactyls, 4/8 birds). Once clinical signs were observed, disease progressed quickly. Poor condition was common in mammals (6/6 primates, 9/10 artiodactyls), but often went undetected until postmortem examination. Neurological signs occurred in three of six primates. Diarrhea and anorexia were uncommon in all animals. Hepatitis was observed in all groups (4/6 primates, 2/10 artiodactyls, 4/8 birds), mesenteric lymphadenomegaly was common in mammals (4/6 primates, 8/10 artiodactyls), and gastroenteritis was common in artiodactyls (7/10). Erythematous, punctate rashes, which have only been reported with yersiniosis in humans, were present in three of six primates. Bacterial cultures from the liver in primates and birds or enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in artiodactyls were often diagnostic. All isolates were susceptible to marbofloxacin, oxytetracycline, streptomycin, ceftazidime, amoxicillin clavulanic acid, trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole, azithromycin, and doxycycline, and resistant to clindamycin. Histopathology and Perl's Prussian blue stains were performed on available liver samples (n = 18). Intracellular hemosiderin was present in 17 of 18 cases. Additional research is needed to determine if there is a relationship between hemosiderosis and yersiniosis.

Two for the price of one: Doris Livesey Reynolds (1899–1985)

Abstract Doris Reynolds, known less commonly by her married name Doris Holmes, was an English geologist and petrologist. She is best known for her role in the Granite Controversy that started in the late 1930s and continued throughout the 1940s and 1950s, and particularly for her contribution to the concept of ‘granitization’ in the formation of granites. She was greatly influenced by Catherine Raisin, who introduced her to petrology at Bedford College for Women where Reynolds studied for her first degree. Throughout her career Reynolds worked on igneous intrusions and their associated metamorphism, with particular emphasis on the Newry Igneous Complex in Ireland. In her papers she detailed the sequences of chemical changes that led to granitization which she postulated occurred as a series of ‘fronts’. She argued that these fronts altered the sedimentary rocks through which they passed, eventually turning the sediments into granites or other igneous rocks, depending on the ions carried by the front. In 1939, she married Arthur Holmes; in 1949, she was among the first five women to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and in 1960 she was awarded the Lyell Medal by the Geological Society of London for her research, her original mind and her refusal to be cowed by the Establishment.

Capturing the views of geoscientists on data sharing: a focus on the geotechnical community

The sharing of ground investigation (GI) data within the UK is commonly practised only in large infrastructure projects. A vast amount of GI data collected on routine projects is commonly not made publicly available which is arguably inefficient and potentially unsustainable. This paper captures the opinions of the geoscience community and the GI industry on data sharing to better understand current working practices and potential barriers to data sharing. The results of a survey carried out at the Janet Watson Meeting 2018: A Data Explosion: The Impact of Big Data in Geoscience held at the Geological Society of London are reported. This survey is compared with the results of interviews undertaken during the Dig to Share project, a collaborative project led by Atkins, British Geological Survey (BGS) and Morgan Sindall. The opinions and practices of geoscientists towards data sharing across a project life cycle are reviewed. Drivers of risk relating to geotechnical aspects of a project are directly linked to current data sharing practice. Thematic collection: This article is part of the Digitization and Digitalization in engineering geology and hydrogeology collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/digitization-and-digitalization-in-engineering-geology-and-hydrogeology

Mabel Elizabeth Tomlinson and Isabel Ellie Knaggs: two overlooked early female Fellows of the Geological Society

Abstract The first female Fellows of the Geological Society of London were elected in May 1919. Brief biographies were documented by Burek in 2009 as part of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the Geological Society. While some of those women were well known (e.g. Gertrude Elles and Ethel Wood), others had seemingly been forgotten. In the decade since that publication, information has come to light about those we knew so little about. There are, however, still some details evading research. From 1919 until 1925, 33 women were elected FGS, including Isobel Ellie Knaggs (1922) and Mabel Tomlinson (1924). Mabel Tomlinson had two careers, and is remembered both as an extraordinary teacher and a Pleistocene geologist. She was awarded the Lyell Fund in 1937 and R.H. Worth Prize in 1961, one of only 13 women to have received two awards from the Geological Society. She inspired the educational Tomlinson–Brown Trust. Isabel Knaggs was born in South Africa and died in Australia but spent all her school, university and working years in England. She made significant contributions to crystallography, working with eminent crystallography scientists while remaining a lifelong FGS. The achievements of Tomlinson and Knaggs are considerable, which makes their relative present-day obscurity rather puzzling.

Longitudinal Improvements in Zoo-Housed Elephant Welfare: A Case Study at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

Simple SummaryZoo elephant welfare has been the topic of much debate over the last two decades, with criticisms made regarding the husbandry and welfare of these species held in European and North American zoos. The aim of this study was to evidence the value of a species-specific behavioural monitoring programme and highlight the positive improvements in elephant welfare that were made in a single collection case study, by the comparison of behavioural activity budgets (time spent performing a particular behaviour) with previous published literature. This study identifies numerous indicators of positive welfare in our collection, including species-appropriate levels of feeding, low engagement in stereotypy (abnormal repetitive behaviour), and proportions of resting behaviour that are consistent with figures published from comparative zoo individuals. Additionally, we show that positive social associations exist between individuals in our study group, with low incidences of agonistic social behaviour and high engagement in positive social interactions. Finally, we acknowledge that improvements are required to further enhance elephant welfare in zoos and we have used the data collected throughout this research programme to adopt an evidence-based approach to the husbandry and management of Asian elephants at Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo.Over the last two decades, criticisms were raised regarding the welfare experienced by elephants in European and North American zoos. Concerns regarding the welfare of zoo-housed elephants in the UK and Europe were consolidated in the publication of several key reports, and media interest peaked. Throughout this study we aim to outline the behavioural measures of welfare observed in the current group of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Whipsnade Zoo, using key welfare indicators for this species and comparing them to previous published work. Following the instigation of a species-specific research programme, empirical behavioural data were available to quantify any developments in care and welfare. The collection of behavioural information revealed that individuals in our study group engage in low levels of stereotypic behaviour, have formed and maintain strong associations with one another and display a high proportion of engagement in lying rest. We outline that by applying simple, low-cost methods of behavioural data collection and analysis, it is possible to collect evidence that allows us to evaluate individual level welfare. This facilitates the adoption of an evidence-based approach to zoo management as well as demonstrating compliance with updated legislation for this species.

Tears for a crocodile

Tears for a crocodile

Collections‐based systematics and biogeography in the 21st century: A tribute to Dr. Vicki Funk

Collections‐based systematics and biogeography in the 21st century: A tribute to Dr. Vicki Funk

The Idiot as Artist:The Fantasy Boats of James Henry Pullen

The Idiot as Artist:The Fantasy Boats of James Henry Pullen

Could impact investing catalyse an ecosystem wide recovery for native oysters and native oyster beds? Lessons learned from the Zoological Society of London's Rhino Impact Investment Bond that could shape the future of oyster restoration

Abstract Ostrea edulis populations have declined by more than 95% since the mid‐1800s due to historical over‐harvesting, disease, competition from invasive species, and predators. Once the basis of a thriving fishery, it is now one of the most threatened habitats in Europe and restoration is high on the conservation agenda. Impact investing is a novel financing model that attracts investors who put creating positive, measurable social outcomes at the heart of their decision‐making process, while also seeking a financial return. Impact bonds, more specifically, are instruments designed to link these investors with beneficial projects and financial returns. Payoff is derived from the success or failure of a service provider in delivering pre‐agreed outcomes. The Rhino Impact Investment is such a project, which aims to increase black rhino numbers by using an impact bond structure, where capital is directed to fund evidence‐based management interventions, and financial gain or loss to the investors depends on the scale to which rhino numbers increase or decrease across a portfolio of project sites. The authors present a hypothetical impact bond model that could be used to address the decline in O. edulis. Investors provide capital that is dispersed among a portfolio of restoration sites to implement interventions designed to increase oyster habitat and numbers. At maturity, outcome payers reimburse investors with their capital plus or minus a rate of return based on independent verification of the outcomes achieved or not achieved. The Rhino Impact Investment project is the only current impact bond model aimed at species recovery and, as such, there is very little evidence to go on with regards to the legal and regulatory framework surrounding such instruments and the restoration of ecological systems and biodiversity. More work is needed on a regulatory and project level to take feasibility testing to the next stage.

Decision Analysis on Sustainable Value: Comparison of the London and Taiwan Markets for Product Integration of Family Security Services and Residential Fire Insurance

This paper explores a decision analysis on product integration of family security services and residential fire insurance in the London and Taiwan markets by using the proposed mathematical models for counting sustainable value. This paper shows the five main different results between London and Taiwan markets with ten different parameters of the family security market, to find out the optimal number of family security integrated services for each security company in London. The improvement of the risk aversion effect based on risk and financial management will enhance the market share of the private security industries in the London and Taiwan markets. The results of this research can serve as a reference for the decision-making of private security industries on product integration under sustainable value consideration. The research findings highlight the potential benefits for both the private security industry and the insurance industry in their design and negotiation for product integration to improve both of business operation and achieve corporate social responsibility goals to match the sustainability in the future.

Teaching Victorian Short Fiction

This essay argues for greater inclusion of Victorian short fiction in university teaching. In the first part of the essay I argue that Victorian short fiction has been subject to a double marginalisation in scholarship. This has resulted, firstly, from the minor status of short fiction in general, and secondly, from the focus of attempts to redeem the short story upon proto-modernist stories. This leaves underexplored the greater part of short fiction from the nineteenth century – particularly highly plotted popular fictions, and fictions published before the 1890s. Part two contends that this scholarly neglect is reflected in an insufficiency of pedagogic scholarship on Victorian short fiction. It argues for the teaching potential of this material in terms of moving beyond the canon, enabling students to become producers of knowledge, and decolonising the curriculum. Part three provides a case study of a digital platform – the Victorian Short Fiction Project – and an 1862 tale collected there from London Society magazine which focuses upon female art students negotiating possibly conflicting desires for autonomy, professional fulfilment, and marriage. The analysis aims to show that even ephemeral, anonymous short fiction of this kind can open up valuable classroom discussions of narrative form, readerly engagement, and the complex ideological work being undertaken by popular Victorian fictions.

The skeletal effects of congenital syphilis: the case of Parrot’s bones

AbstractWe provide a brief account of the life and work of Jules Parrot, a significant figure in French paediatrics, about whom almost nothing has been written. We focus on his work relating to congenital syphilis, specifically reporting on the examination of a collection of bones taken at autopsy from children with congenital syphilis. The collection of bones was brought to London in 1879 by Parrot to illustrate a talk that he gave before the Pathological Society of London. Subsequently, it travelled a circuitous route to the Royal Free Hospital pathology collection, where it remained until we (GC and TW) ‘discovered’ it. The bones represent the largest assemblage of material from cases of congenital syphilis in the UK and they are important as they clearly demonstrate the skeletal lesions associated with congenital syphilis and are now irreplaceable. The bones have been identified to anatomical element and have come from a minimum of eight children, both foetuses and neonates covering the period 30–50 weeks post-conception. Radiological and micro computerised tomography examinations were carried out and three-dimensional models printed at twice life size. The models are durable and can be handled with impunity by students and others wishing to familiarise themselves with the skeletal changes shown.

(2772) Proposal to conserve the name Pandanus ornatus Kurz (Benstonea ornata) against P. ornatus W. Bull with a conserved type (Pandanaceae)

(2772) Proposal to conserve the name <i>Pandanus ornatus</i> Kurz (<i>Benstonea ornata</i>) against <scp><i>P. ornatus</i></scp> W. Bull with a conserved type (<i>Pandanaceae</i>)

Margaret Chorley Crosfield, FGS: the very first female Fellow of the Geological Society

Abstract In May 1919 the first female Fellows of the Geological Society were elected and from then on attended meetings at the Society. The first person on the female fellows’ list was Margaret Chorley Crosfield. She was born in 1859 and died in 1952. She lived all her life in Reigate in Surrey. After studying and then leaving Cambridge, Margaret had sought to join the Geological Society of London for many years, in order to gain recognition of her research work, but also to attend meetings and use the library. This paper will look at her history and trace her geological achievements in both stratigraphy and palaeontology, as well as her extraordinary field notebooks that she left to the Geological Survey. She worked closely with two female geological colleagues, Mary Johnston and Ethel Skeat. Margaret Crosfield epitomizes the educated, amateur, independent woman who wanted to be recognized for her work, especially fieldwork, at a time when female contributions, especially in the field sciences, were not always acknowledged or even appreciated.

Female medal and fund recipients of the Geological Society of London: a historical perspective

Abstract The Geological Society of London has historically awarded medals and funds to early career geologists and for career achievement recognition. Mid-career and outreach awards were later added as categories. This paper will concentrate on early recipients of funds and medal winners mainly during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the nineteenth century, only two women received recognition by the Geological Society for their work through early career funds (not medals): Catherine Raisin in 1893 and Jane Donald in 1898. From 1900 to 1919, no woman received a medal but funds were collected by men on behalf of Gertrude Elles, Elizabeth Gray, Ethel Wood, Helen Drew, Ida Slater and Ethel Skeat. The first woman to collect her own Fund was Ethel Skeat in 1908. Pre-World War II, only four women received career recognition in the form of a medal. Gertrude Elles in 1919 and Ethel Shakespear in 1920 received the Murchison Medal. No further medals were awarded to women until Maria Ogilvie Gordon in 1932 and Eleanor Mary Reid in 1936. It was not until the end of the 1990s and into the twenty-first century that a significant number of women received medals. It is noted that the William Smith Medal was only received by a woman in 2019 and the Dewey Medal has yet to be received by a woman. An analysis of the different medals and funds awarded to females through the Geological Society is discussed in detail with snapshots of the women who were so recognized. As we move into the twenty-first century we see an increase in these awards to women.

Transverse Hermaphroditism in a male

At a meeting of the Pathological Society of London, February 6, 1894, Dr. Edgar Willett demonstrated the genitals of a 44-year-old Muschina who died of cerebral hemorrhage, which is an extremely rare case of true hermaphroditism in the sense of combining both sexes in one individual.

Fibromyoma of uterus, becoming sarcomatous

In a meeting of the Pathological Society of London, January 2, 1894, Dr. Lee Dickinson gave an example of the transition of uterine fibroids to sarcoma.