Heinrich Frey
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Frey was a German-born Swiss entomologist who studied Lepidoptera
. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
, and died in Zurich
, Switzerland
.
in Frankfurt am Main until he was 16. Here he met Senator Carl Heinrich Georg von Heyden (1793–1866) who introduced him to entomology. He attended the University in Frankfurt am Main, then travelled to Bonn
, Berlin
, and Göttingen
.
When he returned to Frankfurt am Main in 1839 von Heyden showed him Philipp Christoph Zeller
's Attempt at a Classification of the Tineinae
which had just appeared in Oken
's Isis. Until this publication, this group of moths had been hopelessly confused and Frey was impressed by Zeller's orderly arrangement.
Returning to Göttingen in 1847 he first became a private tutor, then an “extraordinary” professor at the University. (An extraordinary professorial chair is one created by a university because of an application from an outside organisation that feels that a certain field is not given enough attention). In 1849, he was offered a professorial post by the University of Zurich
, which he accepted.
In 1851, Frey became an ordinary professor in the Medical Faculty, soon after also becoming a Professor at the confederate Polytechnikum. He also became Director of the microscopical anatomical institute and from 1854 to 1856 Rector of the High School. Frey spent the rest of his life in Switzerland.
His most important publications were:
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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...
, and died in 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...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Biography
Heinrich Frey attended the gymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Frankfurt am Main until he was 16. Here he met Senator Carl Heinrich Georg von Heyden (1793–1866) who introduced him to entomology. He attended the University in Frankfurt am Main, then travelled to Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
.
When he returned to Frankfurt am Main in 1839 von Heyden showed him Philipp Christoph Zeller
Philipp Christoph Zeller
Philipp Christoph Zeller was a German entomologist.Zeller was born at Steinheim Württemberg, two miles from Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller. The family moved to Frankfurt where Philip went to the gymnasium where natural history was not taught. Instead, helped by Alois Metzner, he taught...
's Attempt at a Classification of the Tineinae
Tineoidea
Tineoidea is the superfamily of moths that includes clothes moths, bagworms and relatives. There are six families usually included within it, Eriocottidae, Arrhenophanidae, Lypusidae, Acrolophidae, Tineidae and Psychidae, whose relationships are currently uncertain.The Lypusidae, for example, might...
which had just appeared in Oken
Lorenz Oken
Lorenz Oken was a German naturalist.Oken was born Lorenz Okenfuss in Bohlsbach in Baden and studied natural history and medicine at the universities of Freiburg and Würzburg. He went on to the University of Göttingen, where he became a Privatdozent , and shortened his name to Oken...
's Isis. Until this publication, this group of moths had been hopelessly confused and Frey was impressed by Zeller's orderly arrangement.
Returning to Göttingen in 1847 he first became a private tutor, then an “extraordinary” professor at the University. (An extraordinary professorial chair is one created by a university because of an application from an outside organisation that feels that a certain field is not given enough attention). In 1849, he was offered a professorial post by the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
, which he accepted.
In 1851, Frey became an ordinary professor in the Medical Faculty, soon after also becoming a Professor at the confederate Polytechnikum. He also became Director of the microscopical anatomical institute and from 1854 to 1856 Rector of the High School. Frey spent the rest of his life in Switzerland.
His most important publications were:
- Heinrich Frey, Der Lepidopteren der Schweiz, W. Engelmann, 1880 Electronic text Der Lepidopteren der Schweiz
- With Henry Tibbats StaintonHenry Tibbats StaintonHenry Tibbats Stainton was an English entomologist.He was educated at King's College London.He was the author of Manual of British Butterflies and Moths and with the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller, a Swiss, Heinrich Frey and another Englishman, John William Douglas of The Natural...
, Philipp Christoph ZellerPhilipp Christoph ZellerPhilipp Christoph Zeller was a German entomologist.Zeller was born at Steinheim Württemberg, two miles from Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller. The family moved to Frankfurt where Philip went to the gymnasium where natural history was not taught. Instead, helped by Alois Metzner, he taught...
and John DouglasJohn William DouglasJohn William Douglas was an English entomologist, chiefly interested in microlepidopteraJohn William Douglas was born 1814 in Putney. He became interested in insects whilst working at Kew Gardens and published many papers and books on entomology...
The Natural History of the Tineina 13 volumes, 2000 pages 1855 - Heinrich Frey, Die Tineen und Pterophoren der Schweiz: i-xii, 1-430. Zurich. Gronlien (1856)