Georg Joseph Kamel
Encyclopedia
Georg Joseph Kamel also known as Camellus, was a Jesuit missionary
and botanist to the Philippines
. The genus Camellia
was named in his honour by Carolus Linnaeus
.
He was originally from Moravia. He became a Jesuit in 1682. He was sent first to the Marianas in 1683, then he transferred to the Philippines in 1688. Kamel established a pharmacy in Manila, the first in the Philippines, where poor people were supplied with remedies for free.
The results of his botanizing, largely of plants already established in the gardens of Chinese at Manila, many of which he sent to London, to the leading British botanist, Rev. John Ray
and the apothecary-botanist James Petiver
, was his Herbarium aliarumque stirpium in insula Luzone Philippinarum ("Herbs and Medicinal Plants in the island of Luzon
, Philippines"). His first shipment of botanical drawings fell into the hands of pirates and was lost. Parts of this work on oriental plants were published as a96-page appendix in John Ray's third volume of Historia plantarum; species hactenus editas insuper multas noviter inventas & descriptas complectens (1703), and in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
of London
. Petiver published a third section devoted to climber
s.
Kamel was also interested in birds and wrote the first account of the birds of the Philippines, Observationes de Avibus Philippensibus published in 1702 in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
UNESCO
named the 300th anniversary of his death in 2006 among the important anniversaries of the world.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and botanist to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The genus Camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
was named in his honour by Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
.
He was originally from Moravia. He became a Jesuit in 1682. He was sent first to the Marianas in 1683, then he transferred to the Philippines in 1688. Kamel established a pharmacy in Manila, the first in the Philippines, where poor people were supplied with remedies for free.
The results of his botanizing, largely of plants already established in the gardens of Chinese at Manila, many of which he sent to London, to the leading British botanist, Rev. John Ray
John Ray
John Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".He published important works on botany,...
and the apothecary-botanist James Petiver
James Petiver
James Petiver was a London apothecary, a Fellow of the Royal Society as well as London's informal Temple Coffee House Botany Club, famous for his study of botany and entomology.-Life:...
, was his Herbarium aliarumque stirpium in insula Luzone Philippinarum ("Herbs and Medicinal Plants in the island of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines"). His first shipment of botanical drawings fell into the hands of pirates and was lost. Parts of this work on oriental plants were published as a96-page appendix in John Ray's third volume of Historia plantarum; species hactenus editas insuper multas noviter inventas & descriptas complectens (1703), and in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. It was established in 1665, making it the first journal in the world exclusively devoted to science, and it has remained in continuous publication ever since, making it the world's...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Petiver published a third section devoted to climber
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s.
Kamel was also interested in birds and wrote the first account of the birds of the Philippines, Observationes de Avibus Philippensibus published in 1702 in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of London. It was established in 1665, making it the first journal in the world exclusively devoted to science, and it has remained in continuous publication ever since, making it the world's...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
named the 300th anniversary of his death in 2006 among the important anniversaries of the world.
External links
- Biographical note in New Advent
- The Culture of Camellias: from the Phelps Memorial Collection of Garden Books
- Royal Society Full text of Observationes de Avibus Philippensibus