Jan van der Hoeven (9 February 1801 – 10 March 1868) was a Dutch
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 kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...
. His most famous book is ''Handboek der Dierkunde'' (1827–1833), translated into German and English (by
prof. Clark). He wrote as readily about
crocodiles as about
butterflies,
lancelet
The lancelets ( or ), also known as amphioxi (singular: amphioxus ), consist of some 30 to 35 species of "fish-like" benthic filter feeding chordates in the order Amphioxiformes. They are the modern representatives of the subphylum Cephalochord ...
s and
lemur
Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are wet-nosed primates of the superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are endemic to the island of Madagas ...
s. His research on the
nautilus
The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina.
It comprises six living species in ...
resulted in the discovery of a secondary sexual organ of unknown function which was then named after him as
Hoeven's organ or
Van der Hoeven's organ.
Biography
Jan van der Hoeven came from a wealthy family of merchants in Rotterdam. In 1819 he moved to Leiden. In 1822 he got a degree in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and in 1824 in medicine. After a visit to Paris he started working as a family
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
in Rotterdam, but in 1826 he was appointed Professor of Zoology and
Mineralogy at the
University of Leiden
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...
. He married in that year to Anna van Stolk. In his youth Van der Hoeven was influenced by and paid tribute to the German philosopher
Johann Gottfried Herder and he was friendly with
Willem Bilderdijk
Willem Bilderdijk () (7 September 1756 – 18 December 1831) was a Dutch poet, historian, lawyer, and linguist.
Life
Willem Bilderdijk was born on 7 September 1756 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic.Joris van Eijnatten,Bilderdijk, W., ''Bio- en ...
, a prominent Dutch lawyer, author and historian, known for his
Revivalism
Revivalism may refer to:
* Christian revival, increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or society, with a local, national or global effect
* Revivalism (architecture), the use of visual styles that consciously ...
. Two of his brothers were also professor: Abraham was a
Remonstrant
The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...
theologian, Cornelis a physician.
By the 19th century it had become impossible to understand and comprehend all knowledge, but Van der Hoeven was a rather old fashioned scientist, (representing the
Biedermeier era) and a generalist: neither specializing, nor becoming a theoreticist. In 1834 he started a magazine in natural history and physiology (''Tijdschrift voor natuurlijke geschiedenis en physiologie''). Van der Hoeven was also involved in education, writing a biology book for pupils in secondary school, although, paradoxically, he was one of the last professors in Leiden to teach in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. In 1860 he asked permission to leave the university. He died in Leiden eight years later. In 1858, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1864 he published the Latin biology textbook ''Philosophia Zoologica''.
In 1832 he became correspondent of the Royal Institute and in 1845 member. In 1851 the Royal Institute became the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Tribute
''
Leptobarbus hoevenii
Hoven's carp (''Leptobarbus hoevenii''; ''Jelawat'' in Malay), also known as the mad barb or sultan fish, is a species of fish in the barb family. It is native to freshwater habitats in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. Populations ...
''
( Bleeker 1851) is named in honor of Bleeker’s fellow Dutchman, “le célèbre professeur de zoologie”.
''
Hemigobius hoevenii''
( Bleeker, 1851) was also named for him.
See also
*
:Taxa named by Jan van der Hoeven
References
Further reading
*Anonym 1867–1868:
oeven, J. van der''Proc. Linn. Soc. London'' 1867–68 CX-CXI
*Anonym 1868
oeven, J. van der''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.'' (6), London
4)
*Osborn, H. 1952 ''A Brief History of Entomology Including Time of Demosthenes and Aristotle to Modern Times with over Five Hundred Portraits''. Columbus, Ohio, The Spahr & Glenn Company.
*Lubach, D. (1868) Jan van der Hoeven geschetst door. In: Album der Natuur, p. 161–165.
Works
* ''Handboek der Dierkunde'' (1827–1833), first edition
Part 1Part 2Plates
* ''Handboek der Dierkunde'' (1846–1855), second edition
Part 1Part 2 English translation:
Handbook of zoology' (1856–1858). German translation:
Handbuch der zoologie' (1850–1856).
External links
*
*
Google books on Van der HoevenBiographyalbum with cartes de visite – photos of his colleagues and descriptions of his travels in Europe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoeven, Jan Van Der
1801 births
1861 deaths
19th-century Latin-language writers
19th-century Dutch botanists
Dutch entomologists
Leiden University faculty
Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Scientists from Rotterdam
Members of Teylers Tweede Genootschap