Ernst Dieffenbach
Encyclopedia
Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach (Gießen
27 January 1811 - Gießen 10 January 1855) was a German
physician, geologist and naturalist
, the first trained scientist to live and work in New Zealand
, where he travelled widely under the auspices of the New Zealand Company
, returning in 1841–42 and publishing in English his Travels in New Zealand in 1843.
Dieffenbach had gained a degree at the university of Giessen and then, accused by authorities in the Grand Duchy of Hesse
of being subversive, he fled, first to Zurich
, where he received a degree in medicine before being expelled in 1836 for politics and duel
ling; in 1837 he arrived in London, where he eked out a living teaching German, but gained a reputation by his contributions to medical and scientific journals and made friendships with geologists Charles Lyell
and Richard Owen
among others. Recommendations put him aboard the Tory bound for New Zealand, travelling in the capacity of surgeon, surveyor and naturalist.
During the 1840s he was a correspondent of Charles Darwin
, whose Journal of Researches Dieffenbach translated into German and published, with Darwin's notes and corrections, as Naturwissenschaftlichen Reisen (Brunswick, 1853). Darwin knew Dieffenbach's paper on the Chatham Islands
, contributed to the journal of the Royal Geographical Society
, and he particularly noted Dieffenbach's commentary on the differences between the species of birds there and in New Zealand. Dieffenbach also translated the Geological Manual of Henry De la Beche
. Partly as a result of these efforts, in 1850 he was named adjunct professor of geology at Gießen
, a post he held until his death.
The extinct Dieffenbach's Rail, Gallirallus dieffenbachii, a flightless rail formerly endemic to the Chatham Islands, was named after him. The plant genus dieffenbachia was named after the head gardener of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863)
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
27 January 1811 - Gießen 10 January 1855) was a German
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...
physician, geologist and naturalist
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...
, the first trained scientist to live and work in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where he travelled widely under the auspices of the New Zealand Company
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
, returning in 1841–42 and publishing in English his Travels in New Zealand in 1843.
Dieffenbach had gained a degree at the university of Giessen and then, accused by authorities in the Grand Duchy of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
of being subversive, he fled, first to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, where he received a degree in medicine before being expelled in 1836 for politics and duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
ling; in 1837 he arrived in London, where he eked out a living teaching German, but gained a reputation by his contributions to medical and scientific journals and made friendships with geologists Charles Lyell
Charles Lyell
Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, Kt FRS was a British lawyer and the foremost geologist of his day. He is best known as the author of Principles of Geology, which popularised James Hutton's concepts of uniformitarianism – the idea that the earth was shaped by slow-moving forces still in operation...
and Richard Owen
Richard Owen
Sir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
among others. Recommendations put him aboard the Tory bound for New Zealand, travelling in the capacity of surgeon, surveyor and naturalist.
During the 1840s he was a correspondent of 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...
, whose Journal of Researches Dieffenbach translated into German and published, with Darwin's notes and corrections, as Naturwissenschaftlichen Reisen (Brunswick, 1853). Darwin knew Dieffenbach's paper on the Chatham Islands
Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...
, contributed to the journal of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
, and he particularly noted Dieffenbach's commentary on the differences between the species of birds there and in New Zealand. Dieffenbach also translated the Geological Manual of Henry De la Beche
Henry De la Beche
Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
. Partly as a result of these efforts, in 1850 he was named adjunct professor of geology at Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, a post he held until his death.
The extinct Dieffenbach's Rail, Gallirallus dieffenbachii, a flightless rail formerly endemic to the Chatham Islands, was named after him. The plant genus dieffenbachia was named after the head gardener of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863)