Halvor Heyerdahl Rasch (8 January 1805 – 26 August 1883) was a Norwegian

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 ...

and educator. He was born at

Eidsberg Eidsberg was a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the town of Mysen. In 2020, Eidsberg was absorbed into the Indre Østfold municipality. Eidsberg was established as a municipality on 1 Jan ...

Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side o ...

, Norway. Rasch studied botany and zoology at the

University of Christiania The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

(now University of Oslo). He was a professor of zoology and natural science at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

from 1852 to 1874, having previously been a lector since 1847. An avid hunter and sportsman, he published the book ''Jagten i Norge'' (1845) as well as works about livestock, oyster cultivation and

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...

. He was among the founders of the ''Centralforeningen for Udbredelse af Legemsøvelser og Vaabenbrug'', a precursor to the

Norwegian Confederation of Sports The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( no, Norges idrettsforbund og olympiske og paralympiske komité; NIF) is the umbrella organization for sport in Norway. It is the largest volunteering organization in No ...

, in 1861. Rasch was decorated as a Knight of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1863 and received the Silver Medal of the Société Impériale Zoologique d'Acclimatation at Paris in 1866.

References

1805 births 1883 deaths People from Eidsberg University of Oslo alumni 19th-century Norwegian zoologists Norwegian non-fiction writers Academic staff of the University of Oslo 19th-century Norwegian writers Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal {{Zoologist-stub