Richard Böhm (1 October 1854 − 27 March 1884) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Life

Richard Böhm was the son of Ludwig Böhm, a prominent

Physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and Franziska Louise (born Franziska Meyerlinck). As a child, he received a copy of

Brehms Tierleben ''Brehms Tierleben'' (English title: ''Brehm's Animal Life'') is a scientific reference book, first published in the 1860s by Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829–1884). It was one of the first modern popular zoological treatises. First published in ...

for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, which "became a source of unimagined pleasure" for the young Böhm. He studied zoology at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena with the Darwinist Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919) and attained a doctorate in 1877. His disseration was on Helgoland leptomeduses. In April 1880, he and Paul Reichard went on an expedition to

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

and then, in East Africa, the east bank of Lake Tanganyika and the southeast of

Lake Upemba Lake Upemba is a lake in Bukama, Haut-Lomami District, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It, and nearby Lake Kisale, is surrounded by the Upemba Depression in Upemba National Park. The nearest town is Nyonga, and the nearest hospital is loca ...

, which he discovered. His correspondence appeared in 1888 under the title ''Ostafrika, Sansibar und Tanganjika heraus: Von Sansibar zum Tanganjika, Briefe aus Ostafrika von Dr. Richard Böhm'' (J. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1888 Ed. Herman Schalow). Böhm wrote numerous articles in the ''

Journal of Ornithology The ''Journal of Ornithology'' (formerly ''Journal für Ornithologie'') is a scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media on behalf of the Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft. It was founded by Jean Cabanis in 1853, becoming the ...

'' from 1882 to 1887. He was one of the first zoologists to research the animals between the East-African steppe and West-African forest and discovered numerous new species of birds. He died of an attack of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

Species Named After Böhm

Anton Reichenow (1847–1941) and

Herman Schalow Herman Schalow (17 January 1852 – 9 December 1925), also incorrectly written Hermann Schalow, was a German ornithologist. Herman Schalow was a banker; He studied ornithology as an amateur with Jean Louis Cabanis (1816–1906) and worked wit ...

(1852–1925) dedicated bird species to him. Boehm's Bee-eater - Malawi S4E2687 (22658131571)

*'' Merops boehmi'' (Reichenow 1882) *'' Sarothrura boehmi'' (Reichenow 1900) *'' Neafrapus boehmi'' (Schalow 1882) *'' Muscicapa boehmi'' (Reichenow 1884).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohm, Richard German ornithologists German explorers of Africa 1854 births 1884 deaths Deaths from malaria Scientists from Berlin 19th-century German zoologists University of Jena alumni