Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz
Encyclopedia
Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz was a Livonian physician
, botanist, zoologist and entomologist.
Eschscholtz was born in Dorpat (now Tartu)
, Governorate of Livonia in the Russian Empire
. He studied medicine at the local University of Dorpat, and spent his main career there as well: extraordinary professor of anatomy (1819), director of the zoological cabinet (1822), and professor of anatomy (1828).
From 1815-1818 Eschscholtz was a physician and naturalist on the Russian circumnavigational expeditionary ship Rurik under the command of Otto von Kotzebue
. He collected specimens in Brazil
, Chile
, California
, the Pacific Islands
, and on either side of the Bering Strait
, Kamchatka, and the Aleutian Islands. One of the other naturalists was the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso
, who took over Eschscholtz's specimens, excepting insects on completion of the voyage. The two were close friends and Chamisso named the California poppy
Eschscholzia californica in his honour. The results of the trip were published in the Berlin
journal Entomographien in 1822.
From 1823-1826 Eschscholtz went on a second circumnavigational voyage, this time on the ship Predpriaetie , or Enterprise. Again, Kotzebue was the commander. Large collections, mainly of Coleoptera, were made in the tropics and at Unalaska, Sitka, and in California
.
Before his early death Eschscholtz visited the French coleopterist Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean
. Eschscholtz described the Coleoptera he had collected using Dejean’s collection to decide which were new. The binomial names
he gave them as well the descriptions were published by Dejean after Eschscholtz's death. These were attributed to Eschscholtz by Dejean but the rules of nomenclature
were later properly applied and excluded him.
Eschscholtz was one of the first and most important scientists in the exploration of the Pacific, Alaska, and California. Among his publications were the System der Akalephen (1829), and the Zoologischer Atlas (1829–1833). Eschscholtz was the first naturalist to describe the acorn worm
(Balanoglossus), which he encountered in the Marshall Islands
in 1825.
Kotzebue named an island in the Marshall Islands as Eschscholtz Atoll. This was renamed in 1946 to Bikini Atoll
. Kotzebue also named a small bay east of Kotzebue Sound after Eschscholtz.
His insect collections are in the Zoological Museum in Moscow
and in the museums of Tartu and Helsinki
.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, botanist, zoologist and entomologist.
Eschscholtz was born in Dorpat (now Tartu)
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, Governorate of Livonia in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He studied medicine at the local University of Dorpat, and spent his main career there as well: extraordinary professor of anatomy (1819), director of the zoological cabinet (1822), and professor of anatomy (1828).
From 1815-1818 Eschscholtz was a physician and naturalist on the Russian circumnavigational expeditionary ship Rurik under the command of Otto von Kotzebue
Otto von Kotzebue
Otto von Kotzebue was a Baltic German navigator in Russian service....
. He collected specimens in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
, and on either side of the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
, Kamchatka, and the Aleutian Islands. One of the other naturalists was the botanist Adelbert von Chamisso
Adelbert von Chamisso
Adelbert von Chamisso was a German poet and botanist.- Life :He was born Louis Charles Adélaïde de Chamissot at the château of Boncourt at Ante, in Champagne, France, the ancestral seat of his family...
, who took over Eschscholtz's specimens, excepting insects on completion of the voyage. The two were close friends and Chamisso named the California poppy
California poppy
The California poppy is a perennial and annual plant, native to the United States, and the official state flower of California.- Description :...
Eschscholzia californica in his honour. The results of the trip were published in the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
journal Entomographien in 1822.
From 1823-1826 Eschscholtz went on a second circumnavigational voyage, this time on the ship Predpriaetie , or Enterprise. Again, Kotzebue was the commander. Large collections, mainly of Coleoptera, were made in the tropics and at Unalaska, Sitka, and in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Before his early death Eschscholtz visited the French coleopterist Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean
Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean
Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean , was a French entomologist. A soldier of fortune during the Napoleonic Wars, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and aide de campe to Napoleon. He amassed vast collections of Coleoptera some even collected on the battlefield at Waterloo...
. Eschscholtz described the Coleoptera he had collected using Dejean’s collection to decide which were new. The binomial names
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...
he gave them as well the descriptions were published by Dejean after Eschscholtz's death. These were attributed to Eschscholtz by Dejean but the rules of nomenclature
International Code of Zoological Nomenclature
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals...
were later properly applied and excluded him.
Eschscholtz was one of the first and most important scientists in the exploration of the Pacific, Alaska, and California. Among his publications were the System der Akalephen (1829), and the Zoologischer Atlas (1829–1833). Eschscholtz was the first naturalist to describe the acorn worm
Acorn worm
The Acorn worms or Enteropneusta are a hemichordate class of invertebrates, closely related to the echinoderms. There are about 90 species of acorn worm in the world, the main species for research being Saccoglossus kowaleskii....
(Balanoglossus), which he encountered in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
in 1825.
Kotzebue named an island in the Marshall Islands as Eschscholtz Atoll. This was renamed in 1946 to Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
. Kotzebue also named a small bay east of Kotzebue Sound after Eschscholtz.
His insect collections are in the Zoological Museum in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and in the museums of Tartu and Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.