David de Gorter
Encyclopedia
David de Gorter was a Dutch
physician and botanist
.
He was professor
at the then University of Harderwijk
and royal physician to Empress Elizabeth of Russia. He was a member of Imperial Academy of Sciences
in St Petersburg, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
and other academies and learned societies.
At Harderwijk
, he made friends with the young Carolus Linnaeus
, who came there to obtain his doctorate degree. Later, Linnaeus
named the plant genus
Gorteria
after David de Gorter and his father, the physician Johannes de Gorter. In St Petersburg, de Gorter edited and published Krasheninnikov's
last work, Flora Ingrica. He authored one of the first floras to use binomial nomenclature
, Flora Belgica from 1767. .
On May 21, 1775 he married Mary Elizabeth Schultz, a friend of Betje Wolff
. After his death, she donated his herbarium to the Academy in Harderwijk. It now is kept at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands
.
De Gorter spend his last years in Zutphen, where he wrote his Flora of the Seven Provinces.
The Dutch
botanical
journal Gorteria is named to his honour.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
physician and botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
.
He was professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the then University of Harderwijk
University of Harderwijk
The University of Harderwijk , also named the Guelders Academy , was located in the town of Harderwijk, in the Republic of the United Provinces...
and royal physician to Empress Elizabeth of Russia. He was a member of Imperial Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
in St Petersburg, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
and other academies and learned societies.
At Harderwijk
University of Harderwijk
The University of Harderwijk , also named the Guelders Academy , was located in the town of Harderwijk, in the Republic of the United Provinces...
, he made friends with the young Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, who came there to obtain his doctorate degree. Later, Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
named the plant genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Gorteria
Gorteria
Gorteria is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. It was named in honour of the dutch physicists and botanists Johannes de Gorter and his son David de Gorter....
after David de Gorter and his father, the physician Johannes de Gorter. In St Petersburg, de Gorter edited and published Krasheninnikov's
Stepan Krasheninnikov
Stepan Petrovich Krasheninnikov was a Russian explorer of Siberia, naturalist and geographer who gave the first full description of Kamchatka in the early 18th century. He was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1745...
last work, Flora Ingrica. He authored one of the first floras to use binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
, Flora Belgica from 1767. .
On May 21, 1775 he married Mary Elizabeth Schultz, a friend of Betje Wolff
Betje Wolff
Elizabeth Wolff-Bekker was a Dutch writer.On 18 November 1759 she married the 52-year-old clergyman Adriaan Wolff. In 1763 she published her first collection Bespiegelingen over het genoegen...
. After his death, she donated his herbarium to the Academy in Harderwijk. It now is kept at the National Herbarium of the Netherlands
National Herbarium of the Netherlands
The National Herbarium of the Netherlands was established in 1999 through a decentralized merger of the major university herbaria of Leiden , Utrecht and Wageningen...
.
De Gorter spend his last years in Zutphen, where he wrote his Flora of the Seven Provinces.
The Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
botanical
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
journal Gorteria is named to his honour.