Karl August von Bergen
Encyclopedia
Karl August von Bergen was a German anatomist and botanist.
He attended the Gymnasium
in his home town of Frankfurt an der Oder, he later studied medicine at the local Viadrina University from 1727. There he was taught by his father and by the anatomist Andreas Ottomar Goelicke (1670–1744).
He continued his studies at the University of Leiden, where he worked for the professors Hermann Boerhaave (1668–1738), Bernhard Siegfried Albinus
.
He also studied in Paris and Strasbourg
. He returned to Viadrina University and received his doctorate in medicine in 1732 and took a post as a professor at the university.
After the death of his father, he was awarded the chair of anatomy and botany at the university. His duties included the care of the Botanical Garden
, which had been founded in 1678 by Johann Christoph Bekmann.
In 1732 he demonstrated the general distribution of cellular membranes in animals , and showed that they not only enclose every part of the animal frame, but form the basis of every organ. His work was adopted and still more fully expanded (1757) by his friend Albrecht von Haller
.
On 2 April 1739 he married Susanna Elizabeth Rhode. They had four children. After Susanna's early death he re-married on 29 September 1749 her sister, Mary Elizabeth Rhode.
His most noted work is Flora Francofurtana, Frankfurt (Oder), published in 1750. Among his more unusual works is an essay on the rhinoceros
: Oratio de rhinocerote, quam habuit cum tertium deponeret rectoratum, Frankfurt (Oder), 1746.
The botanist Conrad Moench
named the plant genus Bergenia
in his honor in 1794.
Life
Karl August von Bergen was the son of anatomy professor Johann Georg von Bergen (died 1738).He attended the Gymnasium
Gymnasium (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 his home town of Frankfurt an der Oder, he later studied medicine at the local Viadrina University from 1727. There he was taught by his father and by the anatomist Andreas Ottomar Goelicke (1670–1744).
He continued his studies at the University of Leiden, where he worked for the professors Hermann Boerhaave (1668–1738), Bernhard Siegfried Albinus
Bernhard Siegfried Albinus
Bernhard Siegfried Albinus was a German-born Dutch anatomist.Albinus was born at Frankfurt , where his father, Bernhard Albinus , was professor of the practice of medicine...
.
He also studied in Paris and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He returned to Viadrina University and received his doctorate in medicine in 1732 and took a post as a professor at the university.
After the death of his father, he was awarded the chair of anatomy and botany at the university. His duties included the care of the Botanical Garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
, which had been founded in 1678 by Johann Christoph Bekmann.
In 1732 he demonstrated the general distribution of cellular membranes in animals , and showed that they not only enclose every part of the animal frame, but form the basis of every organ. His work was adopted and still more fully expanded (1757) by his friend Albrecht von Haller
Albrecht von Haller
Albrecht von Haller was a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, naturalist and poet.-Early life:He was born of an old Swiss family at Bern. Prevented by long-continued ill-health from taking part in boyish sports, he had the more opportunity for the development of his precocious mind...
.
On 2 April 1739 he married Susanna Elizabeth Rhode. They had four children. After Susanna's early death he re-married on 29 September 1749 her sister, Mary Elizabeth Rhode.
His most noted work is Flora Francofurtana, Frankfurt (Oder), published in 1750. Among his more unusual works is an essay on the rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
: Oratio de rhinocerote, quam habuit cum tertium deponeret rectoratum, Frankfurt (Oder), 1746.
The botanist Conrad Moench
Conrad Moench
Conrad Moench was a German botanist, sometimes written Konrad Mönch, was Professor of Botany at the Marburg University from 1786 until his death....
named the plant genus Bergenia
Bergenia
Bergenia is a genus of ten species of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae, native to central Asia, from Afghanistan to China and the Himalayan region...
in his honor in 1794.