Heinrich Alexander Pagenstecher (18 March 1825,

Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was in a docu ...

– 4 January 1889,

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) was a German

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

. He studied medicine at the universities of

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, t ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and furthered his education in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Following graduation, he worked as a general practitioner in his hometown of Elberfeld (1847), as a spa doctor in Salzbrunn (1848–49) and as a physician in

Barmen Barmen is a former industrial metropolis of the region of Bergisches Land, Germany, which merged with four other towns in 1929 to form the city of Wuppertal. Barmen, together with the neighbouring town of Elberfeld founded the first electric ...

(1849). In 1856 he obtained his habilitation for

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

.Pagenstecher, Heinrich Alexander
In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 20, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2001, , S. 1 f. Because of a serious injury to two of his fingers, he considered himself unfit for surgery and obstetrics, and subsequently shifted his attention from medicine to zoology. In 1863 he was named an associate professor of zoology and

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

as well as director of the zoological institute at Heidelberg, where in 1866, he attained a full professorship. In 1882 he was appointed director of the Natural History Museum in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. The

herpetological Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...

species '' Pseudemoia pagenstecheri'' (southern grass tussock skink) is named in his honor.

Selected works

* ''Trematodenlarven und Trematoden : helminthologischer Beitrag'', 1857 –

Trematode Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host ...

larvae and trematodes, a helminthological contribution. * ''Untersuchungen über niedere Seetiere'', 1858 (with

Rudolf Leuckart Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart (7 October 1822 – 22 February 1898) was a German zoologist born in Helmstedt. He was a nephew to naturalist Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart (1794–1843). Academic career He earned his degree from the Uni ...

); translated into English and published as "Researches upon some of the lower marine animals" (1859). * ''Beiträge zur Anatomie der Milben'' (2 volumes, 1860–61) – Contributions to the

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

of the

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

. * ''Die ungeschlechtliche Vermehrung der Fliegenlarven'', 1864 – Asexual propagation of fly larvae. * ''Die Trichinen; nach Versuchen im Auftrage des Grossherzoglich Badischen Handelsministeriums ausgeführt am Zoologischen Institute in Heidelberg'', 1866 (with Christian Joseph Fuchs) –

Trichinosis Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms of the ''Trichinella'' type. During the initial infection, invasion of the intestines can result in diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Migration of larv ...

; according to tests on behalf of the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

Department of Commerce executed at the Zoological Institute in Heidelberg. * ''Allgemeine zoologie, oder Grundgesetze des thierischen baus und lebens'' (4 volumes, 1875–81) – General zoology; basic laws of animal structure and life.HathiTrust Digital Library
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pagenstecher, Alexander 1825 births 1889 deaths People from Elberfeld Academic staff of Heidelberg University 19th-century German zoologists Scientists from Wuppertal