Anders Jahan Retzius (3 October 1742 – 6 October 1821) was a Swedish

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

, botanist and entomologist.

Biography

Born in

Kristianstad Kristianstad (, ; older spelling from Danish ''Christianstad'') is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 40,145 inhabitants in 2016. During the last 15 years, it has gone from a garrison town to a devel ...

, he matriculated at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion filosofie magister A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1766. He also trained as an apothecary apprentice. He received the position of

docent The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de con ...

of chemistry at Lund in 1766, and of natural history in 1767. He became extraordinary professor of natural history in 1777, and thereafter held various chairs of natural history, economy and chemistry until his retirement in 1812. He died in Stockholm on 6 October 1821. He described many new

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 ...

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 ...

and did fundamental work on their classification. Retzius was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1782. He was the father of

Anders Retzius Anders Adolph Retzius (13 October 1796 – 18 April 1860), was a Swedish professor of anatomy and a supervisor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Biography Retzius was born in Lund, Sweden, in 1796. He enrolled at Lund University in 1 ...

and grandfather of

Gustaf Retzius Prof Magnus Gustaf (or Gustav) Retzius FRSFor HFRSE MSA (17 October 1842 – 21 July 1919) was a Swedish physician and anatomist who dedicated a large part of his life to researching the histology of the sense organs and nervous system. Life ...

. Disciples of Anders Jahan Retzius include the botanist

Carl Adolph Agardh Carl Adolph Agardh (23 January 1785 in Båstad, Sweden – 28 January 1859 in Karlstad) was a Swedish botanist specializing in algae, who was eventually appointed bishop of Karlstad. Biography In 1807 he was appointed teacher of mathemat ...

, the zoologist and archaeologist Sven Nilsson, the botanist and entomologist

Carl Fredrik Fallén Carl Fredrik Fallén (born 22 September 1764 in Kristinehamn – 26 August 1830) was a Sweden, Swedish botanist and entomologist. Fallén taught at the Lund University. He wrote ''Diptera Sueciae'' (1814–27). Fallén described very many specie ...

, and the entomologist

Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt (20 May 1785 – 23 December 1874) was a Swedish naturalist who worked mainly on Diptera and Hymenoptera. Biography Zetterstedt studied at the University of Lund, where he was a pupil of Anders Jahan Retzius. He rec ...

. He was also an influence on the botanist

Elias Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. Career Fries was born at Femsjö (Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö. He acquired an ...

who arrived in Lund by the time Retzius was already an old man.

Selected works

*''Primae Lineae pharmaciae : in usum praelectionum Suecico idiomate'' . Dieterich, Gottingae 177
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf *''Inledning till djur-riket : efter herr archiatern och riddaren Carl von Linnés lärogrunder'' (1772) *''Observationes botanicae'' (1778–91) *''Floræ Scandinaviæ prodromus; enumerans: plantas Sveciae, Lapponiae, Finlandiae, Pomeraniae, Daniae, Norvegiae, Holsatiae, Islandiae & Groenlandiae'' ( Holmiæ 1779; 2nd edition (1795) *(edited and revised:)

Charles De Geer Baron Charles de Geer (the family is usually known as De Geer with a capitalized "De" and is pronounced "de yer"); Finspång in Risinge 30 January 1720 – Stockholm 7 March 1778) was a Swedish industrialist and entomologist. Life De Geer, w ...

, ''Genera et species insectorum, e generosissimi auctoris scriptis extraxit, digessit, quoad portem reddidit, et terminologiam insectorum Linneanam addidit'' (1783) *''Lectiones publicæ de vermibus intestinalibus'' (1784) *''Försök til mineral-rikets upställning.'' (1795) *(edited and revised:)

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

, ''Faunae Svecicae a C à Linné inchoatae pars prima sistens mammalia, aves, amphibia et pisces Sueciae quam recognovit, emendavit et auxit'' (1800). *''Försök til en Flora Oeconomica Sveciae, eller swenska wäxters nytta och skada i hushållningen'' (1806–07)

References

*Gunnar Eriksson, "Retzius, Anders Jahan", ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', vol. 30 (1998-2000). {{DEFAULTSORT:Retzius, Anders Jahan 18th-century Swedish botanists Swedish taxonomists 18th-century Swedish zoologists 1742 births 1821 deaths 18th-century Swedish chemists Swedish entomologists Swedish mineralogists Swedish mycologists Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences People connected to Lund University Lund University alumni 19th-century Swedish botanists 19th-century Swedish chemists 19th-century Swedish zoologists 19th-century Swedish scientists People from Kristianstad Municipality