Karl Eduard von Eichwald (russian: Эдуард Иванович Эйхвальд, ''Eduard Ivanovich Eykhvald''; 4 July 1795, in Mitau,

Courland Governorate The Courland Governorate, also known as the Province of Courland, Governorate of Kurland (german: Kurländisches Gouvernement; russian: Курля́ндская губерния, translit=Kurljándskaja gubernija; lv, Kurzemes guberņa; lt, K ...

– 10 November 1876, in Saint Petersburg) was a Baltic German geologist, physician, and naturalist, who worked in Russia.

Career

Eichwald was a Baltic German born at Mitau in

. He became a doctor of medicine and professor of zoology in Kazan in 1823; four years later professor of zoology and

comparative anatomy Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

at Vilnius; in 1838 professor of zoology,

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

and medicine at St. Petersburg; and finally, professor of

palaeontology 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 ...

in the institute of mines in that city. He travelled much in the Russian Empire, and was a keen observer of its natural history and geology. He died at St. Petersburg. Eichwald was a supporter of

Darwinism Darwinism is a scientific theory, theory of Biology, biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of smal ...

Works

His published works include ''Reise auf dem Caspischen Meere und in den Caucasus'', 2 vols. (

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

and Tübingen, 1834-1838); ''Die Urwelt Russlands'' (St Petersburg, 1840-1845); ''Le Lethaea Rossica, ou Paléontologie de la Russie'', 3 vols. (Stuttgart, 1852-1868), with Atlases. In the scientific field of

herpetology 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 rept ...

he described several new species of

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s.The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Notes

References

External links

Rulex.ru: Biography of Karl Eichwald
�� {{DEFAULTSORT:Eichwald, Karl Geologists from the Russian Empire Latvian biologists German taxonomists 1795 births 1876 deaths Baltic-German people Vilnius University faculty Biologists from the Russian Empire Explorers from the Russian Empire Paleontologists from the Russian Empire Zoologists from the Russian Empire Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences People from Jelgava People from Courland Governorate 19th-century Latvian people 19th-century geologists 19th-century German zoologists Physicians from the Russian Empire

Career

Works

See also

Notes

References

External links