Nathan Augustus Cobb (30 June 1859 – 4 June 1932) is known as "the father of

nematology Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. Although nematological investigation dates back to the days of Aristotle or even earlier, nematology as an independent discipline has its recognizable ...

in the United States". He provided the foundations for

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

and described over 1000 different nematode

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. His technical innovations in nematological methods included fixation and preservation techniques; the Cobb metal mounting slide; improvements in photography and microscopic equipment; and the first device to use flotation to remove nematodes from soil. An individual with a variety of skills, he made significant contributions to a number of scientific disciplines and the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

Nematology Laboratory, originally established with him as the director, continues today. He was the father of Frjeda Blanchard, the geneticist who first demonstrated

Mendelian inheritance Mendelian inheritance (also known as Mendelism) is a type of biological inheritance following the principles originally proposed by Gregor Mendel in 1865 and 1866, re-discovered in 1900 by Hugo de Vries and Carl Correns, and later popularize ...

in reptiles.

Books

This list can be accessed via the

Biodiversity Heritage Library The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL operates as a worldwide consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries working ...

. The list is incomplete. *"A Nematode formula." (1890) Sydney : C. Potter *"Nematodes, mostly Australian and Fijian." (1893) Sydney : F. Cunninghame & Co., printers *"The sheep-fluke." (1897) Sydney : W. A. Gullick, gov't. printer *"Letters on the diseases of plants." (1897) Sydney : W. A. Gullick, gov't. printer *"Seed wheat: an investigation and discussion of the relative value as seed of large plump and small shrivelled grains." (1903) Sydney : W. A. Gullick, gov't. printer *"Letters on the diseases of plants. Second series." (1904) Sydney : W. A. Gullick, gov't. printer *"Methods of using the microscope, camera-lucida and solar projector for purposes of examination and the production of illustrations." (1905) Honolulu :

Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association The Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA) was an unincorporated, voluntary organization of sugarcane plantation owners in the Hawaiian Islands. It began as the Planters' Labor and Supply Company in 1882, later transforming into the HSPA in ...

*"Contributions to a science of nematology." (1914–35) Baltimore : Williams & Wilkins Co.

References

Nathan Augustus Cobb: A Biography (including photos of Cobb)

Society of Nematologists
1859 births 1932 deaths Nematologists People from Spencer, Massachusetts 19th-century American biologists 20th-century American scientists Scientists from Massachusetts Presidents of the American Society of Parasitologists {{US-zoologist-stub