Carlo Fornasini
Cav. Dott. Carlo Fornasini. | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 24 December 1931 Bologna, Kingdom of Italy | (aged 77)
Alma mater | University of Bologna |
Known for | Study of Foraminifera |
Spouse | Emilia née Erhardt |
Children |
|
Scientific career | |
Thesis | (1877) |
Doctoral advisor | Giovanni Capellini |
Author abbrev. (zoology) | Forn. |
Cavaliere dottore Carlo Fornasini (3 November 1854 – 24 December 1931) was an Italian
Biography
He was the third son of Francesco Fornasini, a medical doctor, and his wife Carlotta (née Ferraresi).
He studied natural sciences at the
In 1881, Fornasini returned to palaeontology, possibly persuaded by his friend Lodovico Foresti (1829-1913, assistente (assistant) at the Museo Geologico in Bologna).
He married Emilia Erhardt (at a date not determined), and they had two children: Carlo Francesco, a son, and Elsa, a daughter.
He is commemorated by a bronze plaque in the Museo Geologico.[2]
Scientific work
His main interest was always Foraminifera, on which he became a world authority.[2] He worked mostly as an amateur scientist, independent of academic institutions.[1]
He published chiefly in the journals (dates of earliest and latest papers in parentheses) Bollettino della Società geologica italiana (1883-1905),[8] Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna (1889-1908),[11] and Rivista italiana di paleontologia (1896-1903).[9] He published more than sixty papers in those journals. They include a series of ten papers in Memorie entitled "Contributo alla conoscenza della Microfauna terziaria Italiana" ('Contribution to the Knowledge of Italian Microfauna of the Tertiary') (1889-1899), in which he attempted a critical analysis of all available information on the subject. That included identifying synonymy, where two or more scientists had unknowingly described the same species as new to science;[1] an area of study as important in the advancement of taxonomy as the description of new species.
The
Eponyms
The WoRMS database lists 18 species of Foraminifera whose specific epithet includes 'fornasini', all described between 1893 and 1948.[13] They were most likely named in honour of Carlo Fornasini, but it would be necessary to consult the original descriptions to be certain.
Fondazione Dott. Carlo Fornasini
In 1964, his son Carlo Francesco donated land and money in his will to set up in his father's memory the Fondazione Dott. Carlo Fornasini at Poggio Renatico. Its original aim was to encourage research into human organ transplantation, later expanded to the more general topic of social and human sciences, with particular regard to ethics and bioethics.[14][15]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Morello, Nicoletta (1997). "Fornasini, Carlo". Treccani (in Italian). Vol. 49.
- ^ a b c d e f "Il nome della nostra Fondazione | Il Prof. Carlo Fornasini". Fondazione Dott. Carlo Fornasini (in Italian). Retrieved 2 April 2019. Based on a study by Gian Battista Vai, ordinario (British English: lecturer; American English: professor) at the University of Bologna, and Director of the Museo Geologico Giovanni Capellini.
- ^ Capellini, G. (1877). "Sulle marne glauconifere dei dintorni di Bologna". Boll. Del R. Comitato Geol. Ital. (in Italian). 8: 398–406.
- ^ Gortani (1928). "Note geologiche sui colli bolognesi (serie II)". Rend. R. Acc. Sc. Bologna (in Italian). 32: 151–156.
- ^ Congrès Géologique Internationale | Comptes rendu de la 2me session, Bologne 1881 (in French). Bologna: Fava et Garagnani. 1882.
- ^ Vai, Gian Battista (March 2004). "The Second International Geological Congress, Bologna, 1881" (PDF). Episodes. 27 (1): 13–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Elenco dei socii della società geologica italiana". Boll. Soc. Geol. Ital. (in Italian). 1: 3 at 7. 1882.
- ^ a b Bollettino della Società geologica italiana (in Italian). 1882.
- ^ a b Rivista italiana di paleontologia (in Italian). 1895.
- ^ Mazzotti, Giorgia (3 November 2014). "160° del sindaco-paleontologo La foto di oggi". Ferraria Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Memorie della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna (in Italian).
- WoRMS. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- WoRMS. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Fondazione Dott. Carlo Fornasini". Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Regione Emilia Romagna - Provincia di Ferrara - Associazione dei comuni dell'altro ferrarese" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Further reading
- "Title and author not determined". Rendiconto delle Sessioni della Reale Accademia delle Scienze dell'Istituto di Bologna. 36: 37–47. 1931–32.
- Gortani, Michele (1932). "Carlo Fornasini (1854-1931)". Bollettino della Societa Geologica Italiana (in Italian). 51: 35–43. Obituary by Michele Gortani (1883-1966), Professor of Geology at the University of Bologna.
- Arnim, Max (1952). International Personalbibliographie 1800-1943 (in German) (2nd ed.). Stuttgart. p. 387.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Gortani, M. (1963). "Italian Pioneers in Geology and Mineralogy". Journal of World History. 7 (2): 503–519.
- ISBN 978-0333293935.