Hermann von Nathusius
Encyclopedia
Hermann Engelhard von Nathusius (December 9, 1809 – June 29, 1879) was a German
animal breeder
.
Born in Magdeburg
to industrialist Johann Gottlob Nathusius
, Hermann von Nathusius studied the natural science
s. He took over Schloss Hundisburg from his father and turned it to agriculture
, particularly cattle breeding. He introduced cattle breeds from England
to Germany, and worked to promote the study of cattle breeding. He collected a large amount of information on his herds, whose breeding he personally oversaw, and amassed a collection of domesticated animal skeleton
s; his writings became an important reference for the scientific treatment of animal breeding. He was opposed to his contemporary Charles Darwin
's theory of evolution
, but data from his careful study of breeds was nonetheless used as support for that theory.
He was a member of the Prussia
n Landesökonomiekollegium (Land Economic Council), director of the province of Saxony
's Landwirtschaftlicher Zentralverein (Central Agricultural Council), and president of the Deutsche Ackerbaugesellschaft (German Agricultural Society), among other positions.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
animal breeder
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
.
Born in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
to industrialist Johann Gottlob Nathusius
Johann Gottlob Nathusius
Johann Gottlob Nathusius was a German industrialist.Nathusius was born in Baruth, and learned the trade of a merchant in Berlin, later joining the trading company Sengewald in Magdeburg...
, Hermann von Nathusius studied the natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
s. He took over Schloss Hundisburg from his father and turned it to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, particularly cattle breeding. He introduced cattle breeds from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Germany, and worked to promote the study of cattle breeding. He collected a large amount of information on his herds, whose breeding he personally oversaw, and amassed a collection of domesticated animal skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
s; his writings became an important reference for the scientific treatment of animal breeding. He was opposed to his contemporary Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's theory of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, but data from his careful study of breeds was nonetheless used as support for that theory.
He was a member of the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Landesökonomiekollegium (Land Economic Council), director of the province of Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
's Landwirtschaftlicher Zentralverein (Central Agricultural Council), and president of the Deutsche Ackerbaugesellschaft (German Agricultural Society), among other positions.
Selected works
- Ansichten und Erfahrungen über die Zucht von Fleischschafen (1856)
- Über die Konstanz in der Tierzucht (1860)
- Die Rassen des Schweins (1860)
- Über Shorthorn-Rindvieh (1861)
- Vorstudien für Geschichte und Zucht der Haustiere (1864; Partly reprinted in the journal "Elemente der Naturwissenschaft" No. 85, 2006)
- Deutsches Gestütalbum (1868–70)
- Wandtafeln für den naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht (1871–73)
- Vorträge über Viehzucht und Rassenkenntnis (1872–80)
- Über die sogenannten Leporiden (1876; digital edition)