Eduard Friedrich Poeppig
Encyclopedia
Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (16 July 1798 - 4 September 1868) was a German
botanist, zoologist and explorer.
, Saxony
. He studied medicine
and natural history
at the University of Leipzig
, graduating with a medical degree. On graduation, the rector of the university gave him a botanical mission to North and South America. He worked in Cuba
(1823–24) and Pennsylvania
(1824–26). In 1826 he departed for Valparaiso
, Chile
, and spent several years performing scientific exploration throughout Chile
, Peru
and Brazil
. In the latter part of 1832, he returned to Germany with significant zoological and botanical collections. The following year, he became an associate professor at the University of Leipzig
, where he remained until his death. He contributed to the establishment of a scientific museum in Leipzig, and bequeathed to it his collections.
In South America he described over 4,000 plant species. He also investigated Incan ruins, and travelled the length of the Amazon River
by raft and canoe. He was only the third European to make the entire 5,000 kilometer river journey; the first two being explorer Francisco de Orellana
(1542) and geographer Charles Marie de La Condamine
(1744).
The plant genus Poeppigia is named after him, as is the Silvery Woolly Monkey
, (Lagothrix poeppigii), and the orchid
Campylocentrum poeppigii (Rchb. f.) Rolfe.
Poeppig also wrote most of the American articles for the Allgemeine Encyclopaedie
, edited by Ersch
and Gruber
.
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...
botanist, zoologist and explorer.
Biography
He was born in PlauenPlauen
Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:...
, Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
. He studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
at the University 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...
, graduating with a medical degree. On graduation, the rector of the university gave him a botanical mission to North and South America. He worked in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
(1823–24) and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(1824–26). In 1826 he departed for Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, 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...
, and spent several years performing scientific exploration throughout 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...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and 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...
. In the latter part of 1832, he returned to Germany with significant zoological and botanical collections. The following year, he became an associate professor at the University 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...
, where he remained until his death. He contributed to the establishment of a scientific museum in Leipzig, and bequeathed to it his collections.
In South America he described over 4,000 plant species. He also investigated Incan ruins, and travelled the length of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
by raft and canoe. He was only the third European to make the entire 5,000 kilometer river journey; the first two being explorer Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana
Francisco de Orellana was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He completed the first known navigation of the length of the Amazon River, which was originally named for him...
(1542) and geographer Charles Marie de La Condamine
Charles Marie de La Condamine
Charles Marie de La Condamine was a French explorer, geographer, and mathematician. He spent ten years in present-day Ecuador measuring the length of a degree latitude at the equator and preparing the first map of the Amazon region based on astronomical observations.-Biography:Charles Marie de La...
(1744).
The plant genus Poeppigia is named after him, as is the Silvery Woolly Monkey
Silvery Woolly Monkey
The silvery woolly monkey , also known as Poeppig's woolly monkey, is a woolly monkey species from South America. Named after the German zoologist Eduard Friedrich Poeppig, it is found in Brazil, Ecuador and Peru....
, (Lagothrix poeppigii), and the orchid
Campylocentrum poeppigii (Rchb. f.) Rolfe.
Written works
- Fragmentum synopseos plantarum phanerogamarum, (1833)
- Selbstanzeige der Reisebeschreibung in Blätter für literarische Unterhaltung, (1835)
- Reise in Chile, Peru und auf dem Amazonenstrome während der Jahre 1827-1832, (1834–36)
- Nova genera ac species plantarum, quas in regno Chilensi Peruviano et in terra Amazonica: annis MDCCCXXVII ad MDCCCXXXII (with Stephan Ladislaus EndlicherStephan Ladislaus EndlicherStephan Ladislaus Endlicher was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. He was born in Pressburg and died in Vienna....
); (1835–45) - Reise nach den Vereinigten Staaten (1837)
- Über alte und neue Handelswege nach der Westküste Amerikas, (On old and new trade routes to the west coast of the Americas; 1838)
- Landschaftliche Ansichten und erlauternde Darstellungen (Views of countryside with explanation; 1839)
Poeppig also wrote most of the American articles for the Allgemeine Encyclopaedie
Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste
The Allgemeine Encyclopädie der Wissenschaften und Künste was a 19th-century German encyclopaedia published by Johann Samuel Ersch and Johann Gottfried Gruber, therefore also known as the "Ersch-Gruber." One of the most ambitious encyclopaedia projects ever, it remained uncompleted.It was designed...
, edited by Ersch
Johann Samuel Ersch
Johann Samuel Ersch was a German bibliographer, generally regarded as the founder of German bibliography.-Biography:...
and Gruber
Johann Gottfried Gruber
Johann Gottfried Gruber was a German critic and literary historian.-Biography:Gruber was born at Naumburg on the Saale....
.