João da Silva Feijó

Who was João da Silva Feijó?

João da Silva Barbosa or João da Silva Feijó, was a naturalist, mineralogist and Portuguese soldier, born in Brazil.

João da Silva Feijó studied philosophy and mathematics at the University of Coimbra and adopted the name Feijó in homage to Benito Jerónimo Feijoo, Spanish philosopher, who at the time was respected among natural history students.

In 1778, the Italian professor, Domenico Agostino Vandelli, was part of a group that founded the Natural History Museum in Lisbon. João da Silva was part of this group with Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira, Manuel da Silva Galvão and Joaquim José da Silva.

The feijoa, a tree that bears green fruits similar to guavas, is named after him.