Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
French naturalist (1783-1840)
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Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (October 22, 1783 – September 18, 1840) was a French nineteenth-century polymath. He contributed to botany, zoology, the study of prehistoric earthworks in North America and Mesoamerican ancient linguistics.
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque | |
|---|---|
 Constantine Samuel Rafinesque | |
| Born | October 22, 1783 |
| Died | September 18, 1840 (aged 56) |
| Nationality | France |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | biologist |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Raf. |
Rafinesque was eccentric. People often say he was an "erratic genius".[1] He was an autodidact. He was successful in many things. He was good as a zoologist, botanist, writer and polyglot. He wrote prolifically on such diverse topics as anthropology, biology, geology, and linguistics. Today, scholars say that he was far ahead of his time in many of these fields.[2][3]
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