Michele Lessona


Michele Lessona was an Italian zoologist.
Michele Lessona became a specialist in amphibians. His accomplishments include the translation of certain works of Darwin, for example, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex.

Biography

Lessona studied medicine in Turin, afterwards relocating to Egypt, where he worked in a hospital outside of Cairo as hospital director at Karnak. From 1850 he studied natural sciences at Turin, and in the meantime found employment as a secondary school teacher. In 1854 he attained the chair of mineralogy and zoology at the University of Genoa.
In 1862, with Filippo de Filippi, he took part in a scientific and diplomatic mission to Persia, and after his return to Italy, he was named chair of zoology at the University of Bologna in 1863. In 1867 he became chair of zoology and comparative anatomy at the University of Turin. He was the first to translate The Descent of Man into Italian in 1871. He was also a Senator of the Kingdom from 1877-1894.

Eponyms

Lessona has several herpetological species named after him, such as Pelophylax lessonae, Diploglossus lessonae, and Trapelus lessonae.

Works

Partial list