d another giant； the hylaeosaurus； in 1833鈥攁ndpurchasing others from quarrymen and farmers until he had probably the largest fossilcollection in britain。 mantell was an excellent doctor and equally gifted bone hunter； but hewas unable to support both his talents。 as his collecting mania grew； he neglected his medicalpractice。 soon fossils filled nearly the whole of his house in brighton and consumed much ofhis ine。 much of the rest went to underwriting the publication of books that few cared toown。 illustrations of the geology of sussex ； published in 1827； sold only fifty copies and lefthim 锟�300 out of pocket鈥攁n unfortably substantial sum for the times。
in some desperation mantell hit on the idea of turning his house into a museum andcharging admission； then belatedly realized that such a mercenary act would ruin his standingas a gentleman； not to mention as a scientist； and so he allowed people to visit the house forfree。 they came in their hundreds； week after week； disrupting both his practice and his homelife。 eventually he was forced to sell most of his collection to pay off his debts。 soon after； hiswife left him； taking their four children with her。
remarkably； his troubles were only just beginning。
in the district of sydenham in south london； at a place called crystal palace park； therestands a strange and forgotten sight： the world鈥檚 first life…sized models of dinosaurs。 not manypeople travel there these days； but once this was one of the most popular attractions inlondon鈥攊n effect； as richard fortey has noted； the world鈥檚 first theme park。 quite a lotabout the models is not strictly correct。 the iguanodon鈥檚 thumb has been placed on its nose；as a kind of spike； and it stands on four sturdy legs； making it look like a rather stout andawkwardly overgrown dog。 （in life； the iguanodon did not crouch on all fours； but wasbipedal。） looking at them now you would scarcely guess that these odd and lumbering beastscould cause great rancor and bitterness； but they did。 perhaps nothing in natural history hasbeen at the center of fiercer and more enduring hatreds than the line of ancient beasts knownas dinosaurs。
at the time of the dinosaurs鈥櫋onstruction； sydenham was on the edge of london and itsspacious park was considered an ideal place to re…erect the famous crystal palace； the glassand cast…iron structure that had been the centerpiece of the great exhibition of 1851； and fromwhich the new park naturally took its name。 the dinosaurs； built of concrete； were a kind ofbonus attraction。 on new year鈥檚 eve 1853 a famous dinner for twenty…one prominentscientists was held inside the unfinished iguanodon。 gideon mantell； the man who had foundand identified the iguanodon； was not among them。 the person at the head of the table wasthe greatest star of the young science of paleontology。 his name was richard owen and bythis time he had already devoted several productive years to making gideon mantell鈥檚 lifehell。
owen had grown up in lancaster； in the north of england； where he had trained as a doctor。
he was a born anatomist and so devoted to his studies that he sometimes illicitly borrowedlimbs； organs； and other parts from cadavers and took them home for leisurely dissection。
once while carrying a sack containing the head of a black african sailor that he had just removed； owen slipped on a wet cobble and watched in horror as the head bounced awayfrom him down the lane and through the open doorway of a cottage； where it came to rest inthe front parlor。 what the occupants had to say upon finding an unattached head rolling to ahalt at their feet can only be imagined。 one assumes that they had not formed any terriblyadvanced conclusions when； an instant later； a fraught…looking young man rushed in；wordlessly retrieved the head； and rushed out again。
in 1825； aged just twenty…one； owen moved to london and soon after was engaged by theroyal college of surgeons to help organize their extensive； but disordered； collections ofmedical and anatomical specimens。 most of these had been left to the institution by johnhunter； a distinguished surgeon and tireless collector of medical curiosities； but had neverbeen catalogued or organized； largely because the paperwork explaining the significance ofeach had gone missing soon after hunter鈥檚 death。
owen swiftly distinguished himself with his powers of organization and deduction。 at thesame time he showed himself to be a peerless anatomist with instincts for reconstructionalmost on a par with the great cuvier in paris。 he bee such an expert on the anatomy ofanimals that he was granted first refusal on any animal that died at the london zoologicalgardens； and these he would invariably have delivered to his house for examination。 once hiswife returned home to find a freshly deceased rhinoceros filling the front hallway。 he quicklybecame a leading expert on all kinds of animals living and extinct鈥攆rom platypuses；echidnas； and other newly discovered marsupials to the hapless dodo and the extinct giantbirds called moas that had roamed new zealand until eaten out of existence by the maoris。 hewas the first to describe the archaeopteryx after its discovery in bavaria in 1861 and the firstto write a formal epitaph for the dodo。 altogether he produced some six hundred anatomicalpapers； a prodigious output。
but it was for his work with dinosaurs that owen is remembered。 he coined the termdinosauria in 1841。 it means 鈥渢errible lizard鈥潯nd was a curiously inapt name。 dinosaurs； aswe now know； weren鈥檛 all terrible鈥攕ome were no bigger than rabbits and probably extremelyretiring鈥攁nd the one thing they most emphatically were not was lizards； which are actually ofa much older （by thirty million years） lineage。 owen was well aware that the creatures werereptilian and had at his disposal a perfectly good greek word； herpeton； but for some reasonchose not to use it。 another； more excusable error （given the paucity of specimens at the time）was that dinosaurs constitute not one but two orders of reptiles： the bird…hipped ornithischiansand the lizard…hipped saurischians。
owen was not an attractive person； in appearance or in temperament。 a photograph fromhis late middle years shows him as gaunt and sinister； like the villain in a victorianmelodrama； with long； lank hair and bulging eyes鈥攁 face to frighten babies。 in manner hewas cold and imperious； and he was without scruple in the furtherance of his ambitions。 hewas the only person charles darwin was ever known to hate。 even owen鈥檚 son （who soonafter killed himself） referred to his father鈥檚 鈥渓amentable coldness of heart。鈥�
his undoubted gifts as an anatomist allowed him to get away with the most barefaceddishonesties。 in 1857； the naturalist t。 h。 huxley was leafing through a new edition ofchurchill鈥檚 medical directory when he noticed that owen was listed as professor ofparative anatomy and physiology at the government school of mines； which rathersurprised huxley as that was the position he held。 upon inquiring how churchill鈥檚 had madesuch an elemental error； he was told that the information had been provided to them by dr。
owen himself。 a fellow naturalist named hugh falconer； meanwhile； caught owen taking credit for one of his discoveries。 others accused him of borrowing specimens； then denyinghe had done so。 owen even fell into a bitter dispute with the queen鈥檚 dentist over the creditfor a theory concerning the physiology of teeth。
he did not hesitate to persecute those whom he disliked。 early in his career owen used hisinfluence at the zoological society to blackball a young man named robert grant whose onlycrime was to have shown promise as a fellow anatomist。 grant was astonished to discover thathe was suddenly denied access to the anatomical specimens he needed to conduct hisresearch。 unable to pursue his work； he sank into an understandably dispirited obscurity。
but no one suffered more from owen鈥檚 unkindly attentions than the hapless andincreasingly tragic gideon mantell。 after losing his wife； his children； his medical practice；and most of his fossil collection； mantell moved to london。 there in 1841鈥攖he fateful yearin which owen would achieve his greatest glory for naming an