Franz Unger
Encyclopedia
Franz Joseph Andreas Nicolaus Unger (30 November 1800 in Gut Amthof near village Leutschach
in Styria, Austria
- 13 February 1870 in Graz
) was an Austrian botanist, paleontologist and plant physiologist
.
. In 1820 he moved to Vienna
to study medicine, in 1822 he enrolled at the Charles University in Prague
. In 1823 Unger returned to Vienna and completed his medical studies in 1827.
From 1827 Unger practiced as a doctor in Stockerau
near Vienna, from 1830 as a court physician in Kitzbühel
, Tyrol
. In 1836 he was named professor of botany at the University of Graz and also taught at the Joanneum (which became the Universalmuseum Joanneum and the Graz University of Technology
); in 1850 professor of plant physiology in Vienna. In 1852 he travelled to Northern Europe and to the Orient
. Unger retired in 1866 and lived on his farm near Graz.
Unger was one of the major contributors to the field of paleontology
, later turning to plant physiology
and phytotomy. He hypothesized that (then unknown) combinations of simple elements inside a plant cell
determine plant heredity and greatly influenced the experiments of his student Gregor Johann Mendel. Unger was a pioneer in documenting the relationships between soil and plants
(1836).
Leutschach
Leutschach is a municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Styria, Austria....
in Styria, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- 13 February 1870 in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
) was an Austrian botanist, paleontologist and plant physiologist
Plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,...
.
Life and work
Initially, Unger studied law at the University of GrazUniversity of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
. In 1820 he moved to Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
to study medicine, in 1822 he enrolled at the Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
. In 1823 Unger returned to Vienna and completed his medical studies in 1827.
From 1827 Unger practiced as a doctor in Stockerau
Stockerau
Stockerau is a town in the district of Korneuburg in Lower Austria, Austria.Leisure facilities are various: wellness centre, sports centre with three gyms, judo and table tennis gym, skittle alley and football stadium...
near Vienna, from 1830 as a court physician in Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel
-Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...
, Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. In 1836 he was named professor of botany at the University of Graz and also taught at the Joanneum (which became the Universalmuseum Joanneum and the Graz University of Technology
Graz University of Technology
The Graz University of Technology is the second largest university in Styria, Austria, after the University of Graz. Austria has three universities of technology – in Graz, in Leoben, and in Vienna. The Graz University of Technology was founded in 1811 by Archduke John of Austria. TUG, as the...
); in 1850 professor of plant physiology in Vienna. In 1852 he travelled to Northern Europe and to the Orient
The Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
. Unger retired in 1866 and lived on his farm near Graz.
Unger was one of the major contributors to the field of paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, later turning to plant physiology
Plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology , plant ecology , phytochemistry , cell biology, and molecular biology.Fundamental processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrition,...
and phytotomy. He hypothesized that (then unknown) combinations of simple elements inside a plant cell
Plant cell
Plant cells are eukaryotic cells that differ in several key respects from the cells of other eukaryotic organisms. Their distinctive features include:...
determine plant heredity and greatly influenced the experiments of his student Gregor Johann Mendel. Unger was a pioneer in documenting the relationships between soil and plants
History of Soil Science
The history of soil science began from the contributions of chemist Justus von Liebig. It also includes the work of other scientists like Vasily V. Dokuchaev, Curtis F...
(1836).
Works
- Über den Einfluß des Bodens auf die Verteilung der Gewächse. 1836.
- Über den Bau und das Wachstum des Dikotyledonenstamms. 1840.
- Über Kristallbildungen in den Pflanzenzellen. 1840.
- Grundzüge der Anatomie und Physiologie der Pflanzen. 1846.
- Anatomie und Physiologie der Pflanzen. 1855.
- Grundlinien der Anatomie und Physiologie der Pflanzen. 1866.
- Synopsis plan tarum fossilium. 1845.
- Chloris protogaea, Beiträge zur Flora der Vorwelt. 1841-1847.
- Genera et species plantarum fossilium. 1850.
- Iconographia plantarum fossilium. 1852.
- Sylloge plantarum fossilium. 1860.
- Die Urwelt in ihren verschiedenen Bildungsperioden. 1851, 3rd edition 1864. (With some of the earliest drawings of prehistoric animals.)
- Versuch einer Geschichte der Pflanzenwelt. 1852.
- Geologie der europäischen Waldbäume. 1870.
- Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse einer Reise in Griechenland und den Ionischen Inseln. 1862.
- Die Insel Cypern. 1865.
- Botanische Briefe. 1852.
- Botanische Streifzüge auf dem Gebiet der Kulturgeschichte.
Sources
- "Dr. Franz Unger", Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Oct., 1870), pp. 227-232. JSTOR link
- German Wikipedia article lists several German language sources.