Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann / Johann Georg Zimmermann (8 December 1728, in

Brugg , neighboring_municipalities = Gebenstorf, Habsburg, Hausen, Holderbank, Lupfig, Riniken, Rüfenach, Schinznach, Untersiggenthal, Villigen, Villnachern, Veltheim, Windisch , twintowns = Rottweil (Germany) , website ...

, Aargau7 October 1795, in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

) was a Swiss

philosophical Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

writer, naturalist, and

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 ...

. He was the private physician of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and later

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

Life and works

He studied at

Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

, where he took the degree of a doctor of medicine, and established his reputation by the dissertation, ''De irritabilitate'' (1751). After traveling in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, he practised as a

city physician City physician (German: ; , , from Latin ) was a historical title in the Late Middle Ages for a physician appointed by the city council. The city physician was responsible for the health of the population, particularly the poor, and the sanitary ...

() in Brugg, and wrote ''Über die Einsamkeit'' ("''Of solitude''", 1756, 1784–1785) and ''Vom Nationalstolz'' ("''Of national pride''", 1758). These books made a great impression in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and were translated into almost every European language. In Zimmermann's character there was a strange combination of sentimentalism, melancholy and enthusiasm; and it was by the free and eccentric expression of these qualities that he excited the interest of his contemporaries. Another of his books, written at

, ''Von der Erfahrung in der Arzneiwissenschaft'' ("''Of experience in pharmacology''", 1764), also attracted much attention. In 1768 he settled at

as private physician of George III with the title of a Hofrat. Catherine II invited him to the court of St Petersburg, but this invitation he declined. He attended

during that monarch's last illness, and afterwards issued various books about him, of which the chief were ''Über Friederich den Grossen und meine Unterredung mit ihm kurz vor seinem Tode'' (''"On Frederick the Great and my conversation with him shortly before his death",'' 1788) and ''Fragmente über Friedrich den Grossen'' (''"Fragments on Frederick the Great"'', 1790). According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, " ese writings display extraordinary personal vanity, and convey a wholly false impression of Frederick's character." He has a daughter named

Katharina von Zimmermann Katharina von Zimmermann (1756 – 10 September 1781) was a doctor's daughter, originally from central Switzerland, who died young. She is known to posterity chiefly on account of her friendship with Goethe, who wrote about her. Life Katharina ...

who died in her 20s from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

, which also killed her mother and grandmother.

Works

* ''J.G. Zimmerman: Solitude or The effect of occasional Retirement'' (2 Vol., 1800, (1st.ed.) and 1802 (3rd.ed.) Vernon and Hood etc. London, XLVII, 310pp.,(20),354pp.) With Portrait of Zimmerman and etchings by Ridley and biographical sketch * ''Solitude; In Two Parts'' (1840)

Notes

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmermann, Johann Georg Ritter von 1728 births 1795 deaths 18th-century Swiss botanists 18th-century Latin-language writers 18th-century male writers Swiss nobility Swiss non-fiction writers Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences 18th-century non-fiction writers

Life and works

Works

Notes

References

Further reading

External links