Johann Christian Buxbaum
Encyclopedia
Johann Christian Buxbaum (no later than October 5, 1693 — July 7, 1730), was a German physician, botanist and traveller.
He was born in Merseburg
and studied medicine at the Universities of Leipzig
, Wittenberg, Jena, and Leyden.
In 1721 he was invited by Peter the Great, tsar of Russia, to take up a position as botanist in the Physical Garden, at the Medical Collegium in St Petersburg. In 1724 he became a member of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts and Sciences
and a Professor at the Academic Gymnasium.
In his capacity as a physician, Buxbaum in 1724 was called upon to accompany Alexander Rumyantsev
to Constantinopolis, in a Russian diplomatic mission to Turkey. He used this opportunity to visit Greece. On his way back from Constantinopolis he visited Asia Minor, travelling through Baku
and Derbent
he reached Astrachan, to return, finally, to St Petersburg (in 1727). He died in Wermsdorf
, Saxony
.
He is commemorated in the moss
genus Buxbaumia
(also the name of a journal on mosses) and in the names of several species (notably the sedge
Carex buxbaumii) His most notable works are:
Johann Christian Buxbaum was also an entomologist.
He was born in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
and studied medicine at the Universities of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
, Wittenberg, Jena, and Leyden.
In 1721 he was invited by Peter the Great, tsar of Russia, to take up a position as botanist in the Physical Garden, at the Medical Collegium in St Petersburg. In 1724 he became a member of the St Petersburg Academy of Arts and 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....
and a Professor at the Academic Gymnasium.
In his capacity as a physician, Buxbaum in 1724 was called upon to accompany Alexander Rumyantsev
Alexander Rumyantsev
Count Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev was an assistant of Peter the Great and father of Field Marshal Peter Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky. He came from the Rumyantsev family which, though little known and documented in the 17th century, later claimed descent from a prominent 14th-century boyar.Alexander...
to Constantinopolis, in a Russian diplomatic mission to Turkey. He used this opportunity to visit Greece. On his way back from Constantinopolis he visited Asia Minor, travelling through Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
and Derbent
Derbent
Derbent |Lak]]: Чурул, Churul; Persian: دربند; Judæo-Tat: דארבּאנד/Дэрбэнд/Dərbənd) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, close to the Azerbaijani border. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second most important city of Dagestan...
he reached Astrachan, to return, finally, to St Petersburg (in 1727). He died in Wermsdorf
Wermsdorf
-Landscape:Wermsdorf is situated within Wermsdorf Forest a wooded area of some 30 km/sq, less than 7.0 km to the north-west of Mugeln. The south side of Wermsdorf is deforested and looks out over a fairly flat landscape of agricultural land set out in crops...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
.
He is commemorated in the moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
genus Buxbaumia
Buxbaumia
Buxbaumia is the botanical name for a genus of twelve species of moss . It was named in 1801 by Johann Hedwig to commemorate Johann Christian Buxbaum, a German physician and botanist who discovered the moss in 1712 at the mouth of the Volga River...
(also the name of a journal on mosses) and in the names of several species (notably the sedge
Carex
Carex is a genus of plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges. Other members of the Cyperaceae family are also called sedges, however those of genus Carex may be called "true" sedges, and it is the most species-rich genus in the family. The study of Carex is known as...
Carex buxbaumii) His most notable works are:
- Enumeratio plantarum acculatior in argo Halensi vicinisque locis crescentium una cum earum characteribus et viribus (Halle, 1721)
- Plantarum minus cognitarum centuria I. [-V.] complectens plantas circa Byzantium & in oriente observatas (Petropoli : ex typographia Academiae, 1728—1740, partly posthumously published by Johann Georg GmelinJohann Georg GmelinJohann Georg Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist and geographer.- Early life and education :Gmelin was born in Tübingen, the son of an professor at the University of Tübingen. He was a gifted child and begun attending university lectures at the age of 14. In 1727, he graduated with a medical...
) in five volumes with copperplates.
Johann Christian Buxbaum was also an entomologist.