Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart (7 October 1822 – 22 February 1898) was a German

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 ...

born in

Helmstedt Helmstedt (; Eastphalian: ''Helmstidde'') is a town on the eastern edge of the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the capital of the District of Helmstedt. The historic university and Hanseatic city conserves an important monumental heritage of ...

. He was a nephew to naturalist

Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart Friedrich Andreas Sigismund Leuckart (26 August 1794 – 25 August 1843) was a German doctor and naturalist. He was born in Helmstedt in Lower Saxony and studied medicine at the University of Göttingen. From 1816 he made several voyages of explo ...

(1794–1843).

Academic career

He earned his degree from the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen, (german: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, known informally as Georgia Augusta) is a public research university in the city of Göttingen, Germany. Founded ...

, where he was a student of

Rudolf Wagner Rudolf Friedrich Johann Heinrich Wagner (30 July 1805 – 13 May 1864) was a German anatomist and physiologist and the co-discoverer of the germinal vesicle. He made important investigations on ganglia, nerve-endings, and the sympathetic nerves ...

(1805–1864). Afterwards he participated on a scientific expedition to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

for the study marine

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s. Later he became a professor of zoology at the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von L ...

(1850) and the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

(1869).ADB: Leuckart, Rudolf
@ ''

Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language. It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...

''.

Parasitological research

Leuckart is remembered for his work in

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...

, particularly research regarding

tapeworm Eucestoda, commonly referred to as tapeworms, is the larger of the two subclasses of flatworms in the class Cestoda (the other subclass is Cestodaria). Larvae have six posterior hooks on the scolex (head), in contrast to the ten-hooked Cestodar ...

and

trichinosis Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms of the ''Trichinella'' type. During the initial infection, invasion of the intestines can result in diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Migration of larv ...

. He was the first to prove that ''

Taenia saginata ''Taenia saginata'' (synonym ''Taeniarhynchus saginatus''), commonly known as the beef tapeworm, is a zoonotic tapeworm belonging to the order Cyclophyllidea and genus ''Taenia''. It is an intestinal parasite in humans causing taeniasis (a typ ...

'' occurs only in cattle (and humans), and ''

Taenia solium ''Taenia solium'', the pork tapeworm, belongs to the cyclophyllid cestode family Taeniidae. It is found throughout the world and is most common in countries where pork is eaten. It is a tapeworm that uses humans as its definitive host and pigs ...

'' occurs only in swine (and humans). His study of ''

Trichina ''Trichinella'' is the genus of parasitic nematode, roundworms of the phylum nematode, Nematoda that cause trichinosis (also known as trichinellosis). Members of this genus are often called trichinella or trichina worms. A characteristic of Nema ...

'' helped support

Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Ludwig Carl Virchow (; or ; 13 October 18215 September 1902) was a German physician, anthropologist, pathologist, prehistorian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician. He is known as "the father of modern pathology" and as the founder ...

's campaign to create meat inspection laws in Germany. With Virchow and

Friedrich Albert von Zenker Friedrich Albert von Zenker (13 March 1825 – 13 June 1898) was a German pathologist and physician, celebrated for his discovery of trichinosis. He was born in Dresden, and was educated in Leipzig and Heidelberg. While in Leipzig, he worked for ...

(1825–1898), he was the first to document the life cycle of the parasite ''

Trichinella spiralis ''Trichinella spiralis'' is a viviparous nematode parasite, occurring in rodents, pigs, bears, hyenas and humans, and is responsible for the disease trichinosis. It is sometimes referred to as the "pork worm" due to it being typically encounte ...

'' in swine and humans. He, and independently

Algernon Thomas Sir Algernon Phillips Withiel Thomas (3 June 1857 – 28 December 1937) was a New Zealand university professor, geologist, biologist and educationalist. He was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England in 1857 and died in Auckland, New Zealand in 19 ...

, experimentally discovered the life-cycle of the

sheep liver fluke ''Fasciola hepatica'', also known as the common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic trematode (fluke or flatworm, a type of helminth) of the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes. It infects the livers of various mammals, includ ...

in 1881–1883. Today the "Rudolf-Leuckart-Medaille" is an annual award given for research in parasitology by the ''Deutschen Gesellschaft für Parasitologie'' (German Society of Parasitology).

Other contributions

Leuckart is credited with splitting

George Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

's ''Radiata'' into two phyla:

Coelenterata Coelenterata is a term encompassing the animal phyla Cnidaria (coral animals, true jellies, sea anemones, sea pens, and their relatives) and Ctenophora (comb jellies). The name comes , referring to the hollow body cavity common to these two phyl ...

and

Echinodermata An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea li ...

. As a scientist, his provided excellent descriptions of morphologic details giving credence to the idea that zoological evolution can be learned through its anatomical changes. Between 1877 and 1892, he developed a series of zoological wall charts that have been used worldwide as teaching aids. In the field of

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

, he conducted investigations into the

micropyle Micropyle may refer to: * Micropyle (botany) In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (o ...

and fertilization of

insect egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

s, the reproduction and development involving members of Pupipara,

parthenogenesis Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development ...

among insects, and studies on the anatomy and life history of the

honeybee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmo ...

. A quote attributed to Rudolf Leuckart: A

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of Australian lizard, '' Anomalopus leuckarti'', is named in his honor.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Leuckart", p. 156).

Family

Leuckart's son, Carl Louis Rudolf Leuckart (1854–1889), was a chemist and professor.

Written works

* '' Beiträge zur Kenntnis wirbelloser Tiere'', (Contributions to the knowledge of

animals) with

Heinrich Frey Heinrich Frey (June 15, 1822 – January 17, 1890) was a German-born Swiss entomologist who studied Lepidoptera. He was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and died in Zurich, Switzerland. He is not to be confused with the dipterist Richard K ...

; Braunschweig, 1847. * ''Über die Morphologie und Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse der wirbellosen Tiere'', (On the

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

and relationships of invertebrate animals) Braunschweig, 1848 * ''Zur Morphologie und Anatomie der Geschlechtsorgane'', (Morphology and anatomy of reproductive organs) Braunschweig, 1848. * ''Beiträge zur Lehre der Befruchtung'', (Contributions to the theory of

fertilization Fertilisation or fertilization (see spelling differences), also known as generative fertilisation, syngamy and impregnation, is the fusion of gametes to give rise to a new individual organism or offspring and initiate its development. Proce ...

) Göttinger Nachrichten, 1849. * ''Über den Polymorphismus der Individuen oder die Erscheinungen der Arbeitsteilung in der Natur'', (On polymorphism of individuals or the phenomena of division of labor in nature), Gießen, 1851. * ''Zoologische Untersuchungen'', (Zoological research) Gießen, 1853–54, 3 Hefte. * ''Vergleichende Anatomie und Physiologie'', (Comparative Anatomy and

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

) Leuckart &

Bergmann Bergmann is a German or Swedish surname. It means "mountain man" in both languages, as well as "miner" in German. '' Bergman'' is also a common surname in the United States, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. The surname may refer to: *Art Be ...

, Stuttgart, 1852. * ''Die Fortpflanzung und Entwicklung der Pupiparen'', (The reproduction and development of Pupipara) Halle, 1857. * ''Zur Kenntnis des Generationswechsels und der Parthenogenesis bei den Insekten'', (Change in generations and

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

) Frankfurt, 1858. * ''Untersuchungen über Trichina spiralis'', (Studies on Trichina spiralis) Leipzig, 1860, second edition- 1866. * ''Die Blasenwürmer und ihre Entwicklung'', ( Bladder-worms and their development) Gießen, 1856. * ''Die Parasiten des Menschen und die von ihnen herrührenden Krankheiten'', (Parasites of man and the diseases arising from them), Leipzig, 1863–76, 2 volumes; second edition- 1879 ff. * ''Die Entwicklunggeschichte des Leberegels (Distonum hepaticum, dt.)'', (Developmental history of the

liver fluke Liver fluke is a collective name of a polyphyletic group of parasitic trematodes under the phylum Platyhelminthes. They are principally parasites of the liver of various mammals, including humans. Capable of moving along the blood circulation, t ...

(Distonum hepatic dt.) in: Zoologischer Anzeiger 4, 1881. * ''Neue Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Baes und der Lebensgeschichte der Nematoden'', (New contributions to the knowledge of Baes and the life history of

nematodes The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a broa ...

, 1887.

References

External links

Leuckart Wall Charts

The Animal Parasites of Man
by Harold Benjamin Fantham and Maximilian Gustav Braun * List of published works copied from the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

. * Rudolf Leuckart (1848
''Ueber die Morphologie und die Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse der wirbellosen Thiere''
– digital facsimile from the

Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leuckart, Rudolf 1822 births 1898 deaths People from Helmstedt People from the Duchy of Brunswick 19th-century German zoologists Leipzig University faculty Foreign Members of the Royal Society Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Members of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala