3-057-033 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Richard Owen, 1878. After qualifying and practicing as a surgeon, Owen made major contributions in the fields of anatomy and paleontology. He was responsible for first coining the word dinosaur in 1841. Owen was opposed to Darwin's theories, believing that natural selection was insufficient to explain evolution. In 1856 he became superintendent of natural history at the British Museum and planned the new Natural History Museum which was established in South Kensington.