Nathaniel Gottfried Leske
Encyclopedia
Nathanael Gottfried Leske (22 October 1751 in Muskau- 25 November 1786 in Marburg
) was a German
natural scientist and geologist
.
After his studies at Bergakademie of Freiberg in Saxony
and the Franckeschen Stiftungen in Halle
, Leske became a special professor of natural history at the University of Leipzig
in 1775.
From 1777-1786 he taught economics
at this university, and in 1786 he was called to the chair of financial science
and economics at the University of Marburg. However, he had a fatal accident on his way to Marburg.
Throughout his life Leske corresponded with his teacher and close friend of Abraham Gottlob Werner
, famous geologist
and mineralogist at Weimar
.He also edited the Leipziger Magazin zur Naturkunde, Mathematik und Oekonomie (1781-1789) http://www.izwt.uni-wuppertal.de/repertorium/MS/LeipzigerMagazin.html with Christlieb Benedict Funk :de:Christlieb Benedict Funk and Carl Friedrich Hindenburg.
Leske possessed an extensive mineral
and natural history
collection called the Leskean Cabinet
, which was arranged after his death by Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten :de:Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten and later, in 1792, sold to the Dublin Society. The collection included other natural history specimens many from the collections of Johann Friedrich Gmelin
and Johan Christian Fabricius
.These specimens are now in the National Museum of Ireland
.
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
) 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...
natural scientist and geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
.
After his studies at Bergakademie of Freiberg in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and the Franckeschen Stiftungen in Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, Leske became a special professor of natural history at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
in 1775.
From 1777-1786 he taught economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at this university, and in 1786 he was called to the chair of financial science
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and economics at the University of Marburg. However, he had a fatal accident on his way to Marburg.
Throughout his life Leske corresponded with his teacher and close friend of Abraham Gottlob Werner
Abraham Gottlob Werner
Abraham Gottlob Werner , was a German geologist who set out an early theory about the stratification of the Earth's crust and coined the word Neptunism...
, famous geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and mineralogist at Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
.He also edited the Leipziger Magazin zur Naturkunde, Mathematik und Oekonomie (1781-1789) http://www.izwt.uni-wuppertal.de/repertorium/MS/LeipzigerMagazin.html with Christlieb Benedict Funk :de:Christlieb Benedict Funk and Carl Friedrich Hindenburg.
Leske possessed an extensive mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
and natural history
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...
collection called the Leskean Cabinet
Leskean Cabinet
The Leskean Cabinet is an 18th century mineral and natural history collection conserved in the Natural History Museum in Dublin.-Purchase:Early in 1792 a committee of the Royal Dublin Society was appointed to bid for the purchase of the cabinet of mineralogy...
, which was arranged after his death by Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten :de:Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten and later, in 1792, sold to the Dublin Society. The collection included other natural history specimens many from the collections of Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Johann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
and Johan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
.These specimens are now in the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
.
Works
- with Jacob Theodor KleinJacob Theodor KleinJacob Theodor Klein nickname Plinius Gedanensium was a Royal Prussian jurist, historian, botanist, mathematician and diplomat in service of Polish King August II the Strong.-Life:...
Additamenta ad Jacob Theodor Klein Naturalem dispositionim echinodermatum et lucubratiunculam de aculeis echinorum marinorum Lipsiae Ex Officina Gleditschiana,1778. BHL - Anfangsgrunde der Naturgeschichte. Zwote [sic] verbesserte und viel vermehrte Ausgabe. Leipzig: Siegfried Lebrecht Crusius, 1784.
- Reise durch Sachsen in Rüksicht der Naturgeschichte und Ökonomie unternommen und beschrieben. Leipzig: J.G. Müllersche Buchhandlung, 1785
- Ichthyologiae Lipsiensis specimen. LipsiaeLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
: Siegfrief Lebrecht Crusius, 1774 - Museum N. G. Leskeanum. Pars entomologica ad systema entomologiae Cl. Fabricii orkinata... Lipsia: J.G. Müllersche Buchhandlung, 1788.