The Janitor and his museum: John Wilson (1775–1832) and the teaching of ‘practical zoology’ in early nineteenth-century Edinburgh

Abstract

A description by William Jardine of Applegirth of the state of taxidermy in early nineteenth-century Edinburgh draws attention to the agency of the University of Edinburgh’s Janitor, John Wilson, in contributing to the University’s Natural History Museum, in the building of his own private museum collection, and in the teaching of ‘practical zoology’. This description has prompted the present critical examination of Wilson’s status and pedagogic practices, the sites in which he operated, and his influence on Scottish taxidermy.