Emil Hassler (20 June 1864 – 4 November 1937) (French:, Spanish: ) was a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
physician, ethnographer, naturalist and
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
well known for his collections and contributions to the description of the
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
and culture of
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
.
[ Hassler 1864-1937 (IPNI)]
Early life and education
Born in
Aarau
Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the dis ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in 1864, the son of Johann Friedrich Hassler and Marie Stampfli, Hassler was educated at the ''Ecole des arts et métiers d'Aarau'' from 1880 to 1882. He studied medicine in France, completing his studies in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Brazil.
Career
In 1884 he began practising medicine in
Cuiabá
Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city' ...
, Brazil. Between September 1885 and March 1887 he undertook his first voyage of exploration in the
Matto Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
of Brazil starting from Cuiabá, making his first
ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
collections. In 1887 he moved to a hospital at San Bernardino near to
Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
in Paraguay.
In 1889 he was curator for Paraguay in the
World Exhibition
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
in Paris. In 1893 Hassler presented his ethnographic work at the
Chicago World Fair.
He made his first botanical collections in 1895 and in 1896 considered returning to Switzerland settle permanently but, in 1897, decided, instead, to go to Paraguay for more botanical exploration. These led to the 1898 publication of the first part of ''Plantae Hasslerianae'' published in the
academic journal
An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...
, ''
Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier'', with further parts published through to 1907.
In June 1898 he moved to
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...
and built his first house in '. Between 1898 and 1908 he undertook several botanical exploration trips nationwide, primarily in the Eastern region with collaborator
Teodoro Rojas. He regularly returned to Switzerland during this period and, in 1909 he moved more permanently, settling in
Pinchat near Geneva. He researched his collections, publishing numerous studies, some in conjunction with
Robert Chodat Robert Hippolyte Chodat (4 June 1865, Moutier – 28 April 1934) was a Swiss botanist and phycologist who was a professor and director of the botanical institute at the University of Geneva.
He studied medicine and botany at Geneva, where he was l ...
who accompanied him on a further field trip to Paraguay in 1914. In 1919 Hassler deposited his personal herbarium collection in the
Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva
The Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva () is a museum and an institution of the City of Geneva.
Establishment and location
It was founded in 1817 in a former area of ''Bastions Park'' in 1817 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle ...
whose director, Dr
John Briquet, was a personal friend.
In 1920 he returned to Paraguay to definitively settle in San Bernardino. He built "Villa Mon Repos" as his second home but continued to travel regularly back to Switzerland. In 1921 he participated in the foundation of the
Sociedad Científica del Paraguay (Scientific Society of Paraguay), of which he became honorary president.
In 1932, during the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ[honorary rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...](_blank)
of
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in the
Paraguayan Army
To win or to die
, march= Marcha al Mariscal Lopez
, mascot=
, equipment=
, equipment_label=
, battles= War of the Triple AllianceChaco WarParaguayan People's Army insurgency
, anniversaries= 24 of July (Mariscal Lopez Birthday)
, decorations=
, ba ...
.
On 28 October 1934 he was awarded
Doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
''
Honoris Causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
'' by the
Universidad Nacional de Asunción
The Universidad Nacional de Asunción or Mbo'ehaovusu Tetãgua Paraguaygua, abbreviated UNA, anglicized as, The National University of Asuncion, is a public university founded in San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Founded in 1889, it is the oldest and most t ...
in recognition of his outstanding work.
In August 1935, at the end of the Chaco War, the hospital in San Bernardino was closed and Hassler undertook what was to be his final trip to Switzerland. On 4 November 1937 he died in Asunción and was buried in the cemetery of San Bernardino in Paraguay.
Ethnographic collections
The ethnographic collections of about 5,000 items collected by Emil Hassler in northern Paraguay and
Chaco and displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 were acquired by the
Field Museum, Chicago. Some items from the collection were subsequently exchanged with the
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
Native American collections of the
New Brunswick Museum
The New Brunswick Museum, located in Saint John, New Brunswick, is Canada's oldest continuing museum. The New Brunswick Museum was incorporated as the "Provincial Museum" in 1929 and received its current name in 1930, but its history goes back muc ...
, Canada.
Other ethnographic collections of about 10,000 items made during Hassler's expeditions between 1885 and 1895 were purchased in 1919 by the
Museum of Cultures,
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, Switzerland. In 1920, a part of these collections was gifted to the
Museum of Ethnography of Geneva.
Botanical collections
Hassler's botanical collections constitute the foundation of scientific knowledge of the flora of Paraguay. Collected between 1885 and 1919 by Hassler himself or under his direction, it is estimated that 90% of Paraguay's existing species are represented in his collection. Specimens were deposited in Asunción, sent to Geneva and other major global
herbaria
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...
.
The collection numbers about 13,000 or about 60,000 if duplicated specimens are included. A complete catalogue of these, inclusive of other collectors' related collections from Paraguay, (''Catalogus Hasslerianus'', 2008-), is being published and made available online.
The collections formed the basis of the description of many new species, published in the work ''Plantae Hasslerianae'' in several parts between 1898 and 1907 as well as subsequent studies both by Emil Hassler and by others. These collections serve today as a basis for drafting a
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
of Paraguay.
Hassler's specimens are of a high quality and include all parts necessary for identification. The attention to detail, including the formal composition of the specimen, the conservation status, etc. make these collections a very important resource for
taxonomic studies of the flora of Paraguay. These qualities were demonstrated in a public exhibition at the
Museum of the History of Science, Geneva in 2002.
After his death in 1937, the deposit of his botanical collection at the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève was bequeathed to the city of Geneva. Hassler's library was purchased and is preserved in the
National Library of Venezuela
The Biblioteca Nacional de Venezuela (in English: ''National Library of Venezuela''), located in Caracas, is the legal deposit and copyright for Venezuela. It was established on July 13, 1833, by decree of General José Antonio Páez. Diego Baut ...
in
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
.
Selected publications
* ( at the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
.)
*
* ( at
JSTOR
JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...
)
*
*
*
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassler, Emil
1864 births
1937 deaths
People from Aarau
19th-century Swiss botanists
Swiss ethnographers
19th-century Swiss physicians
20th-century Swiss botanists