Abraham Trembley (3 September 1710 – 12 May 1784 Geneva) was a Swiss naturalist. He is best known for being the first to study freshwater polyps or hydra and for being among the first to develop experimental zoology. His mastery of experimental method has led some historians of science to credit him as the "father of biology".
Trembley came from an officer's family from Geneva, Switzerland. Trembley acted as tutor to the children of Count Willem Bentinck (1704-1774), a prominent Dutch politician at the time. Trembley, during his lessons, discovered the regenerative powers of the Hydra with the boys. Those were conducted at the Count's summer residence of Sorgvliet nearby. The Hague. Sketches and drawings of his experiments with the children, made by Cornelis Pronk, are kept in the archives of the town of The Hague, the Netherlands.
