Rudolf Leuckart
Encyclopedia
Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart (October 7, 1822 - February 6, 1898) was a German zoologist who was born in Helmstedt
. He was a nephew to naturalist
Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart
(1794-1843).
He earned his degree from the University of Göttingen, where he was a student of Rudolf Wagner
(1805-1864). Afterwards he participated on a scientific expedition to the North Sea
for the study marine invertebrate
s. Later he became a professor of zoology at the University of Giessen
(1850) and the University of Leipzig
(1869).
Leuckart is remembered for his work in parasitology
, particularly research regarding tapeworm and trichinosis
. He was the first to prove that Taenia saginata
occurs only in cattle (and humans), and Taenia solium occurs only in swine (and humans). His study of Trichina helped support Rudolf Virchow
's campaign to create meat inspection laws in Germany.
With Virchow and Friedrich Albert von Zenker
(1825-1898), he was the first to document the life cycle of the parasite Trichinella spiralis
in swine and humans. He also did important studies of the sheep liver fluke.
Leuckart is credited with splitting George Cuvier's Radiata into two phyla: Coelenterata
and Echinodermata. Between 1877 and 1892, he developed a series of zoological wall charts which have been used worldwide as teaching aids. As a scientist, his excellent descriptions of morphologic details gave credence to the idea that zoological evolution can be learned through its anatomical changes. Today the "Rudolf-Leuckart-Medaille" is an annual award given for research in parasitology by the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Parasitologie (German Society of Parasitology).
A quote attributed to Rudolf Leuckart:
Helmstedt
Helmstedt is a city located at the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. Helmstedt has 26,000 inhabitants . In former times the city was also called Helmstädt....
. He was a nephew to naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart
Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart
Friedrich Andreas Sigismund Leuckart was a German doctor and naturalist.He was born in Helmstedt in Lower Saxony and studied medicine at the University of Göttingen...
(1794-1843).
He earned his degree from the University of Göttingen, where he was a student of Rudolf Wagner
Rudolf Wagner
Rudolf Wagner was a German anatomist and physiologist and the co-discoverer of the germinal vesicle. He made important investigations on ganglia, nerve-endings, and the sympathetic nerves.-Life:...
(1805-1864). Afterwards he participated on a scientific expedition to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
for the study marine invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. Later he became a professor of zoology at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
(1850) and 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...
(1869).
Leuckart is remembered for his work in parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
, particularly research regarding tapeworm and trichinosis
Trichinosis
Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis, or trichiniasis, is a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game infected with the larvae of a species of roundworm Trichinella spiralis, commonly called the trichina worm. There are eight Trichinella species; five are...
. He was the first to prove that Taenia saginata
Taenia saginata
Taenia saginata, also known as Taeniarhynchus saginata or the beef tapeworm, is a parasite of both cattle and humans, causing taeniasis in humans. Taenia saginata occurs where cattle are raised by infected humans maintaining poor hygiene, human feces are improperly disposed of, meat inspection...
occurs only in cattle (and humans), and Taenia solium occurs only in swine (and humans). His study of Trichina helped support Rudolf Virchow
Rudolf Virchow
Rudolph Carl Virchow was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist and politician, known for his advancement of public health...
's campaign to create meat inspection laws in Germany.
With Virchow and Friedrich Albert von Zenker
Friedrich Albert von Zenker
Friedrich Albert von Zenker was a German pathologist and physician, celebrated for his discovery of trichinosis. He was born in Dresden, and was educated in Leipzig and Heidelberg. Attached to the city hospital of Dresden in 1851, he added, in 1855, the duties of professor of pathological...
(1825-1898), he was the first to document the life cycle of the parasite Trichinella spiralis
Trichinella spiralis
Trichinella spiralis is a nematode parasite, occurring in rats, pigs, bears and humans, and is responsible for the disease trichinosis. It is sometimes referred to as the "pork worm" due to it being found commonly in undercooked pork products...
in swine and humans. He also did important studies of the sheep liver fluke.
Leuckart is credited with splitting George Cuvier's Radiata into two phyla: Coelenterata
Coelenterata
Coelenterata is an obsolete term encompassing two animal phyla, the Ctenophora and the Cnidaria . The name comes from the Greek "koilos" , referring to the hollow body cavity common to these two phyla...
and Echinodermata. Between 1877 and 1892, he developed a series of zoological wall charts which have been used worldwide as teaching aids. As a scientist, his excellent descriptions of morphologic details gave credence to the idea that zoological evolution can be learned through its anatomical changes. Today the "Rudolf-Leuckart-Medaille" is an annual award given for research in parasitology by the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Parasitologie (German Society of Parasitology).
A quote attributed to Rudolf Leuckart:
Written Works
- Beiträge zur Kenntnis wirbelloser Tiere, R. Leuckart, Heinrich FreyHeinrich FreyHeinrich Frey was a German-born Swiss entomologist who studied Lepidoptera. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and died in Zurich, Switzerland.-Biography:...
; Braunschweig, 1847 - Über die Morphologie und Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse der wirbellosen Tiere, Braunschweig, 1848
- Zur Morphologie und Anatomie der Geschlechtsorgane, Braunschweig, 1848
- Beiträge zur Lehre der Befruchtung, Göttinger Nachrichten, 1849
- Über den Polymorphismus der Individuen oder die Erscheinungen der Arbeitsteilung in der Natur, Gießen, 1851
- Zoologische Untersuchungen, Gießen, 1853-54, 3 Hefte
- Vergleichende Anatomie und Physiologie, R. Leuckart, Bergmann, Stuttgart, 1852
- Die Fortpflanzung und Entwicklung der Pupiparen, Halle, 1857
- Zur Kenntnis des Generationswechsels und der Parthenogenesis bei den Insekten, Frankfurt, 1858
- Untersuchungen über Trichina spiralis, Leipzig, 1860, 2. Aufl. 1866
- Die Blasenwürmer und ihre Entwicklung, Gießen, 1856
- Die Parasiten des Menschen und die von ihnen herrührenden Krankheiten, Leipzig, 1863-76, 2 Bde.; 2. Aufl. 1879 ff.
- Die Entwicklunggeschichte des Leberegels (Distonum hepaticum, dt.), in: Zoologischer Anzeiger 4, 1881
- Neue Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Baes und der Lebensgeschichte der Nematoden, in: Abbh. Königl. Sächs. Ges. Wiss. Math.-physikal. Cl 1887
External links
- Leuckart's Zoological Wall Charts
- The Animal Parasites of Man by Harold Benjamin Fantham and Maximilian Gustav Braun