Carl Friedrich Kielmeyer (22 October 1765 – 14 August 1844) was a German

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and naturalist born in Bebenhausen, today part of the city of

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in three ...

. He was a pioneer of '' Naturphilosophie'', helped to establish

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, ...

(''Pflanzenchemie'') as a field, and developed an early version of

recapitulation theory The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—often expressed using Ernst Haeckel's phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a historical hypothesis that the development of the embryo of an a ...

through the observation of animal embryos.

Career

He initially studied at

Karlsschule Stuttgart Hohe Karlsschule (''Karl's High School'') was the strict military academy founded by Karl Eugen, Duke of Württemberg in Stuttgart, Germany. It was first founded in 1770 as a military orphanage, but then converted into a military academy in 1773 ...

, then furthered his education at 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 ...

(1786–88), where he had as instructors

Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (11 May 1752 – 22 January 1840) was a German physician, naturalist, physiologist, and anthropologist. He is considered to be a main founder of zoology and anthropology as comparative, scientific disciplines. He ...

, Johann Friedrich Gmelin and

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1 July 1742 – 24 February 1799) was a German physicist, satirist, and Anglophile. As a scientist, he was the first to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics in Germany. He is remembered for ...

. Afterwards, he returned to Karlsschule Stuttgart, where in 1792 he was appointed professor of chemistry. In 1796 he became a professor of chemistry and

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

, where he established the

Botanischer Garten der Universität Tübingen The Botanischer Garten der Universität Tübingen, also known as the Botanischer Garten Tübingen or the Neuer Botanischer Garten Tübingen, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Tübingen. It is located at Hartmeye ...

in 1804. In 1816 he returned to Stuttgart as scientific director of the royal library,

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, et al. He died in Stuttgart. Kielmeyer was a pioneer of '' Naturphilosophie'' and was an important influence on the career of philosopher

Friedrich Schelling Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (; 27 January 1775 – 20 August 1854), later (after 1812) von Schelling, was a German philosopher. Standard histories of philosophy make him the midpoint in the development of German idealism, situating him be ...

. He was a prominent figure in pre-Darwinian evolutionary science, being remembered for development of an early theory of biological recapitulation--the idea that embryos pass through developmental stages that reflect their "primitive ancestors". He published little in his lifetime, and much of what is known about his scientific philosophy is derived from lectures he gave.

Legacy

The plant genus '' Kielmeyera'' was named in his honor by

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD ...

in 1826.

Publications

* 1793 'Ueber die Verhaltnisse der organischen Krafte,' ''On the Relationships of Organic forces,'' his major work. * c.1938 'Gesammelte Schriften,' collected minor writings.Robert J Richards, ''The Romantic Conception of Life,'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002, Ch.6: Kielmeyer and the Organic Powers of Nature, pp. 238-251.

Footnotes

* "This article is based on a translation of an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia".

External links

Evolution and Adaptation
by Thomas Hunt Morgan {{DEFAULTSORT:Kielmeyer, Carl Friedrich 19th-century German biologists German naturalists Scientists from Tübingen University of Tübingen faculty 1765 births 1844 deaths People educated at the Karlsschule Stuttgart