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Prof Karl (Carl) Theodor Ernst von Siebold FRS(For) H
FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
(16 February 1804 – 7 April 1885) was a German
physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...
and
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 was responsible for the introduction of the taxa
Arthropoda Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
and
Rhizopoda An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; plural ''am(o)ebas'' or ''am(o)ebae'' ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of Cell (biology), cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and ret ...
, and for defining the taxon
Protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
specifically for single-celled organisms.


Biography

He was born at
Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...
, Bavaria, the son of Elias von Siebild (sic), a professor of obstetrics, and his wife, Sophie von Schaffer. He was educated in Würzburg and the Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster in
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 ...
. Von Siebold studied medicine and science chiefly at the
University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
(under K. A. Rudolphi) and also at
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 ...
(under
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (11 May 1752 – 22 January 1840) was a German physician, naturalist, physiologist, and anthropologist. He is considered to be a main founder of zoology and anthropology as comparative, scientific disciplines. He wa ...
), submitting a thesis on the metamorphosis of the salamander. In 1831 he began to practice medicine in Heilsberg, East Prussia (now
Lidzbark Warmiński Lidzbark Warmiński (; german: Heilsberg, ), often shortened to Lidzbark, is a historical town located within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County. Lidzbark Warmiński was once the capital of ...
), moving in 1834 to
Königsberg Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...
, and then in the same year to be Director of the
Midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...
ry School in Danzig. He became professor of zoology, comparative anatomy and veterinary science at
Erlangen Erlangen (; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Erlang'', Bavarian language, Bavarian: ''Erlanga'') is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative d ...
in 1840, professor of zoology and physiology at
Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
in 1845, professor of physiology at Breslau in 1850, and professor of zoology and comparative anatomy at the Maximilians-Universität in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in 1853. In Munich, he later received the additional duties as professor of zoology and director of the zoological and zootomical cabinet. He was elected a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
in 1856. He was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1869. He died in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
on 7 April 1885. He was considered “an industrious and critical observer and ... as his biographer justly calls him, the Nestor of German zoology”.


Scientific work

His best-known publication was the ''Lehrbuch der Vergleichenden Anatomie'' (''Manual of Comparative Anatomy'') (1845–48) which he co-edited with
Hermann Friedrich Stannius Hermann Friedrich Stannius (15 March 1808, Hamburg – 15 January 1883, Sachsenberg near Schwerin) was a German anatomist, physiologist and entomologist. He specialised in the insect order Diptera especially the family Dolichopodidae. Works ...
, being largely responsible for the first volume, on invertebrates (see Principal Publications). Siebold was the originator, after Cuvier, of the first important reforms in systematic zoology, and established the unicellular nature of the
Protozoa Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
, which he first combined into a phylum. He introduced the taxa
Arthropoda Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...
and
Rhizopoda An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; plural ''am(o)ebas'' or ''am(o)ebae'' ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of Cell (biology), cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and ret ...
. In 1848, together with R. A. von Kölliker he founded the leading biological journal ''Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie'' (Journal for Scientific Zoology), which he edited until his death. This was long the leading morphological and anatomical journal of Europe. His scientific accomplishments included (in 1851) collaborating with
Theodor Bilharz Theodor Maximilian Bilharz (23 March 1825 – 9 May 1862) was a German physician who made pioneering discoveries in the field of parasitology. His contributions led to the foundation of tropical medicine. He is best remembered as the discoverer ...
on the first description of the blood-fluke ''
Schistosoma haematobium ''Schistosoma haematobium'' (urinary blood fluke) is a species of digenetic trematode, belonging to a group (genus) of blood flukes (''Schistosoma''). It is found in Africa and the Middle East. It is the major agent of schistosomiasis, the most ...
'', (in 1853) the elucidation of the life cycle of the tapeworm ''
Echinococcus granulosus ''Echinococcus granulosus,'' also called the hydatid worm, hyper tape-worm or dog tapeworm, is a cyclophyllid cestode that dwells in the small intestine of canids as an adult, but which has important intermediate hosts such as livestock and hu ...
'', (in 1854) the suggestion that the cercariae of the fluke ''
Fasciola hepatica ''Fasciola hepatica'', also known as the common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode (fluke or flatworm, a type of helminth) of the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes. It infects the livers of various mammals, inc ...
'' were the infective stage which passed from the invertebrate to the vertebrate host, and (in 1856) the discovery of
parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development ...
in insects. He also published work on
medusae Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...
, other
cestodes Cestoda is a class of parasitic worms in the flatworm phylum (Platyhelminthes). Most of the species—and the best-known—are those in the subclass Eucestoda; they are ribbon-like worms as adults, known as tapeworms. Their bodies consist of man ...
and
trematodes 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 ...
, and
strepsiptera The Strepsiptera are an order of insects with eleven extant families that include about 600 described species. They are endoparasites in other insects, such as bees, wasps, leafhoppers, silverfish, and cockroaches. Females of most species never ...
ns... His collection of worm specimens was purchased for the Helminth Collection of the
Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...
in London in 1851. His fish collection (1804-1855), specializing in freshwater fishes of
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, was deposited at the Zoological Cabinet of the Bavarian State in 1863, and though most were lost in WWII, some specimens remain at the Zoologische Staatssammlung in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
.


Family

He married twice: in 1831 to Fanny Noldechen (d.1854) and in 1855 to Antoynie Noldechen (her younger sister). His father was cousin (some say younger brother) to the naturalist and physician
Philipp Franz von Siebold Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (17 February 1796 – 18 October 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveler. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora (plants), flora and fauna (animals), fauna and the introduction of ...
.


Principal publications

*''Observationes de Salamandris et Tritonibus'' (1828) *''Beiträge zur Naturgeschichte der wirbellosen Thiere'' (Contributions to the natural history of invertebrates; Danzig, 1839) *''Lehrbuch der vergleichenden Anatomie der Wirbellossen Thiere ''(Manual of comparative anatomy of invertebrates; Berlin, 1848, by C. T. E. von Siebold), being the first volume of ''Lehrbuch der Vergleichenden Anatomie'' (Manual of comparative anatomy; edited by C. T. E. von Siebold and H. Stannius, 1846–48); however, it was published after the second volume, ''Lehrbuch der vergleichenden Anatomie der Wirbelthiere'' (Manual of comparative anatomy of vertebrates; Berlin, 1846, by H. Stanius), leading to confusion regarding the correct date of the works *''Ueber die Band- und Blasenwürmer'' (1854) *''Wahre Parthenogenesis bei Schmetterlingen und Bienen'' (True parthenogenesis in moths and bees; 1856; English trans. 1857) *''Die Süsswasserfische Mitteleuropas'' (Freshwater fish of Central Europe; Leipzig, 1863) Here he points out some of the hybrid forms. *''Beiträge zur Parthenogenesis der Arthropoden'' (Contributions on the parthenogenesis of Arthropods; 1871) Here he established the fact of parthenogenesis in two
wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...
, in a
saw fly Sawflies are the insects of the suborder Symphyta within the order Hymenoptera, alongside ants, bees, and wasps. The common name comes from the saw-like appearance of the ovipositor, which the females use to cut into the plants where they lay ...
, in several
moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s, and in certain phyllopod
crustacea Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...
.


See also

* :Taxa named by Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold


Animals named after Siebold

*''Ergasilus sieboldi'' von Nordmann, 1832 *''Lineola sieboldii'' (Kölliker, 1845) Gerlach & Riemann, 1974 *''Pegantha sieboldi'' (Haeckel, 1879) *''Trichosphaerium sieboldi'' Schneider, 1878 *''Stenostomum sieboldi'' von Graff, 1878 *''Colobomatus sieboldi'' (Richiardi, 1877) *''Hyalonema sieboldi'' Gray, 1835 Source: Hans G. Hansson, Biographical Etymology of Marine Organism Names, Tjärnö Marine Biol. Lab., Sweden. Two snakes: *'' Geophis sieboldi''
Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...
, 1862 *''
Amphiesma sieboldii The Sikkim keelback (''Herpetoreas sieboldii'') is a species of grass snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to South Asia and Myanmar. It is closely related to the Himalayan keelback, and some treat this species as a synonym (T ...
'' ( Günther, 1860) Günther A (1860). "Contributions to a Knowledge of the Reptiles of the Himalaya Mountains". ''Proc. Zool. Soc. London'' 1860: 148-175. (''Herpetoreas sieboldii'', new species, pp. 156-157; "This species is called after Prof. von Siebold of Munich", p. 157).


Notes


References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Siebold, Carl 1804 births 1885 deaths 19th-century German zoologists Scientists from Würzburg People from the Kingdom of Bavaria Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Foreign Members of the Royal Society Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)