Karl Eichwald Explained

Birth Date:4 July 1795
Birth Place:Jelgava (German: Mitau), present-day Latvia
Death Place:St. Petersburg, Russia
Citizenship:Russian Empire
Nationality:Baltic German
Fields:Geology
Medicine
Workplaces:Kazan University, Vilnius University, St. Petersburg University
Known For:Describing new reptile species
Author Abbrev Bot:Eichw.

Karl Eduard von Eichwald known as Karl Eichwald (Russian: Эдуард Иванович Эйхвальд, Eduard Ivanovich Eykhvald; 4 July 1795, in Mitau, Courland Governorate – 10 November 1876, in Saint Petersburg) was a Baltic German geologist, physician, and naturalist, who lived his whole life in the Russian Empire.

Career

Eichwald was a Baltic German born at Mitau in Courland Governorate. He became a doctor of medicine and professor of zoology in Kazan in 1823; four years later professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at Vilnius; in 1838 professor of zoology, mineralogy and medicine at St. Petersburg; and finally, professor of palaeontology in the institute of mines in that city.

He travelled much in the Russian Empire, and was a keen observer of its natural history and geology. He died at St. Petersburg.

Eichwald was a supporter of Darwinism.[1]

Works

His published works include Reise auf dem Caspischen Meere und in den Caucasus, 2 vols. (Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1834-1838); Die Urwelt Russlands (St Petersburg, 1840-1845); Le Lethaea Rossica, ou Paléontologie de la Russie, 3 vols. (Stuttgart, 1852-1868), with Atlases.

In the scientific field of herpetology he described several new species of reptiles.[2]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Corsi, Pietro. (2005). Before Darwin: Transformist Concepts in European Natural History. Journal of the History of Biology 38: 67-83.
  2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.