A vintage natural history journal with a turtle illustration from Schöpf’s Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten stands on a desk in a scientist's study, surrounded by specimen jars, an open anatomical book, a brass magnifying glass, inkwell, and cabinet display of reptile skeletons.

The Shell and the Scalpel: Schöpf’s Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten and the Birth of Herpetology

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Johann David Schöpf arrived in North America as a military surgeon during the Revolutionary War and left with the raw material for the most comprehensive study of turtles the world had ever seen. A look at the Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten, the birth of herpetology, and the extraordinary anatomy of the turtle shell.

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