Oswald Heer
Encyclopedia
Oswald Heer Swiss
geologist
and naturalist
, was born at Niederuzwil
in Canton of St. Gallen
and died in Lausanne
.
and took holy orders, and he also graduated as Doctor of Philosophy
and medicine
. Early in life his interest was aroused in entomology
, on which subject he acquired special knowledge, and later he took up the study of plants and became one of the pioneers in paleobotany
, distinguished for his researches on the Miocene
flora.
In 1851 Heer became professor of botany
in the university of Zürich
, and for some time he was the director of what is now the Old Botanical Garden in that city. He directed his attention to the Tertiary plants and insects of Switzerland. In 1863 (with William Pengelly
, Phil. Trans., 1862) he investigated the plant-remains from the lignite-deposits of Bovey Tracey
in Devon
, regarding them as of Miocene age; but they are now classed as Eocene
.
Heer also reported on the Miocene flora of Arctic
regions (fossil plant remains brought back from Northwest Greenland
by K. J. V. Steenstrup
), on the plants of the Pleistocene lignites of Dürnten
, and on the cereals of some of the lake-dwellings (Die Pflanzen der Pfahlbauten, 1866).
During a great part of his career Heer was hampered by slender means and ill-health, but his services to science were acknowledged in 1873 when the Geological Society of London
awarded to him the Wollaston medal
. He died at Lausanne
on the 27th of September 1883.
Heer published Flora Tertiaria Helvetiae (3 vols., 1855-1859); Die Urwelt der Schweiz (1865), and Flora fossilis Arctica (1868-1883) and with Eduard Heinrich Graeffe
.
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....
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...
and naturalist
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...
, was born at Niederuzwil
Uzwil
Uzwil is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-History:Uzwil was first mentioned in 819 as Uzzinwilare. The village of Henau was first mentioned 754 as Villa Aninauva at the Monastery of St. Gallen in the "Henau document" .-Geography:Uzwil has an area,...
in Canton of St. Gallen
Canton of St. Gallen
The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...
and died in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
.
Biography
Oswald Heer was educated as a clergyman at HalleUniversity of Halle-Wittenberg
The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg , also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg within Saxony-Anhalt, Germany...
and took holy orders, and he also graduated as Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. Early in life his interest was aroused in entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, on which subject he acquired special knowledge, and later he took up the study of plants and became one of the pioneers in paleobotany
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
, distinguished for his researches on the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
flora.
In 1851 Heer became professor of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
in the university of Zürich
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....
, and for some time he was the director of what is now the Old Botanical Garden in that city. He directed his attention to the Tertiary plants and insects of Switzerland. In 1863 (with William Pengelly
William Pengelly
William Pengelly, FRS FGS was a British geologist and early archaeologist who was one of the first to contribute proof that the Biblical chronology of the earth calculated by Archbishop James Ussher was incorrect....
, Phil. Trans., 1862) he investigated the plant-remains from the lignite-deposits of Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey is a small town in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". The locals just call the town "Bovey" ....
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, regarding them as of Miocene age; but they are now classed as Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
.
Heer also reported on the Miocene flora of Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
regions (fossil plant remains brought back from Northwest Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
by K. J. V. Steenstrup
K. J. V. Steenstrup
Knud Johannes Vogelius Steenstrup was a Danish geologist and explorer of Greenland. He was a nephew of the zoologist Japetus Steenstrup....
), on the plants of the Pleistocene lignites of Dürnten
Dürnten
Dürnten is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Dürnten has an area of . Of this area, 60.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 21.4% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, and on the cereals of some of the lake-dwellings (Die Pflanzen der Pfahlbauten, 1866).
During a great part of his career Heer was hampered by slender means and ill-health, but his services to science were acknowledged in 1873 when the Geological Society of London
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
awarded to him the Wollaston medal
Wollaston Medal
The Wollaston Medal is a scientific award for geology, the highest award granted by the Geological Society of London.The medal is named after William Hyde Wollaston, and was first awarded in 1831...
. He died at Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
on the 27th of September 1883.
Heer published Flora Tertiaria Helvetiae (3 vols., 1855-1859); Die Urwelt der Schweiz (1865), and Flora fossilis Arctica (1868-1883) and with Eduard Heinrich Graeffe
Eduard Heinrich Graeffe
Eduard Heinrich Graeffe or Gräffe was a Swiss entomologist specialising in Hymenoptera , Diptera and Hemiptera...
.
Works
Heer published the following works:- 1840 - Analytische Tabellen zu Bestimmung der phanerogamischen Pflanzengattungen der Schweiz.
- 1840 - Flora der Schweiz; mit Johannes Jacob Hegetschweiler
- 1846 - Der Kanton GlarusFormularende
- 1847 - Die Insektenfauna der Tertiärgebilde von Oeningen und von Radoboj in Croatien
- 1855-1859 - Flora tertiaria Helvetiae*1862 - Beiträge zur Insektenfauna Oeningens
- 1862 - Beiträge zur Fossilen Flora von Sumatra
- 1862 - Beiträge zur Insektenfauna Oeningens: Coleoptera, Geodephagen. .. Lamellicornen und Buprestiden
- 1863 - On the lignite formation of Bovey Tracey, Devonshire; mit William Pengelly
- 1865 - Die Urwelt der Schweiz
- 1865 - Die Pflanzen der Pfahlbauten
- 1867 - Fossile Hymenopteren aus Oeningen und Radoboy
- 1868-1882 - „Flora fossilis arctica - Die fossile Flora der Polarländer“
- "1868 in GraeffeEduard Heinrich GraeffeEduard Heinrich Graeffe or Gräffe was a Swiss entomologist specialising in Hymenoptera , Diptera and Hemiptera...
Reise im Innern der Insel Viti Levu. Neujahrsblatt der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zurich 70: 1-48 (1868). (ngzh.ch) - 1869 - Miocene baltische Flora
- 1869 - Ueber die Braunkohlenpflanzen von Bornstädt
- 1870 - Die Miocene Flora und Fauna Spitzbergens
- 1871 - Fossile Flora der Bären Insel
- 1872 - Le monde primitif de la Suisse
- 1874 - Die Kreide-Flora der Arctischen Zone
- 1874 - Anmärkningar öfver de af svenska polarexpeditionen 1872-73 upptäckte fossila växter.
- 1876 - Beiträge zur fossilen Flora Spitzbergens: Gegründet auf die Sammlungen der schwedischen Expedition vom Jahre 1872 auf 1873.
- 1877 - Flora fossilis Helvetiae: die vorweltliche Flora der Schweiz
- 1878 - Beiträge zur fossilen Flora Sibiriens und des Amurlandes
- 1884 - Analytische Tabellen zur Bestimmung der phanerogamischen Pflanzengattungen der Schweiz