Otto Brunfels (also known as Brunsfels or Braunfels) (believed to be born in 1488 – 23 November 1534) was a German

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

botanist 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 wo ...

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

listed him among the "Fathers of Botany".

Life

After studying

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

and

philosophy 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. ...

at the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (german: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz) is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. With approximately 32,000 stud ...

, Brunfels entered a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...

monastery in Mainz and later resettled to another Carthusian monastery at Königshofen near

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

. In Strasbourg he got in contact with a learned lawyer Nikolaus Gerbel (they met in person in 1519). Gerbel drew Brunfels' attention to the healing powers of plants and thus gave the impetus to the further botanical investigations. Brunfels Helleborus

After the conversion to the Protestantism (he was supported by

Franz von Sickingen Franz von Sickingen (2 March 14817 May 1523) was an Imperial Knight who, with Ulrich von Hutten, led the so-called "Knights' Revolt," and was one of the most notable figures of the early period of the Protestant Reformation. Sickingen was nickn ...

and

Ulrich von Hutten Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer. By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hu ...

), upon the insistence of the Dean of Frankfurt Johann Indagine, Brunfels became a minister at Steinau an der Straße (1521) and later, in Neuenburg am Rhein. After that he served for eight years as the head of a

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

school in

. In the list of most important heretics published by the order of the Emperor by the University of Leuven (1550), Brunfels was listed first. In one of his works he defended Ulrich von Hutten against

Erasmus of Rotterdam Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' w ...

and published the manuscripts from the

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the insp ...

heritage. Brunfels' ''Catalogi virorum illustrium'' 1527 is considered to be the first book on the history of

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

Church. After his friend Ulrich von Hutten had died (1523), Brunfels' religious views brought him into a controversy with

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

and

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Univ ...

. Later on he began to study

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universiti ...

, ( MD 1532). In 1532 Brunfels became 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

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, where he stayed till the end of his life. Besides of his numerous theological works, Brunfels published treatises on

pedagogics Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

Arabic language Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

pharmaceutics Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or old drugs into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients. It is also called the science of dosage form design. The ...

entomology Entomology () is the 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 as ara ...

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 ...

. He is often called a ''father of botany'', because, in his botanical writings, he relied not so much on the ancient authors as on his own observations and described plants according to the latter. In his ''Herbarum vivae eicones'' (1530 and 1536, in three parts) and ''Contrafayt Kräuterbuch'' (1532–1537, in two parts), the German plants he himself found during his botanical studies are represented with woodcuts (by Hans Weiditz) under their

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 ...

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

names. However, Duane Isely attributes much of Brunfels' popularity to Weiditz, whose woodcuts set a new standard technically, and were done from life, rather being copied from previous works. Brunfels also introduced information about German plants not found in

Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides ( grc-gre, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ; 40–90 AD), “the father of pharmacognosy”, was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of '' De materia medica'' (, On Medical Material) —a 5-vo ...

, and described them independently of their medical values, although the descriptions are often poorly written.Ferdinand Wilhelm Emil Roth.
Otto Brunfels 1489–1534. Ein deutscher Botaniker
'' In: ''Botanische Zeitung'', 58 (1900), S. 191–232. A plant genus ''

Brunfelsia ''Brunfelsia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to subfamily Petunioideae of the nightshade family Solanaceae. The 50 or so species have been grouped into the three sections: ''Brunfelsia'' (circa 22 species), ''Franciscea'' (circa 18 spe ...

'' (Solanaceae) is named after him.

Works

* ''Othonis Brvnfelsii Pro Vlricho Hutteno defuncto ad Erasmi Roter. Spongiam Responsio'' (1523) * ''Processus consistorialis Martyrii Io. Huss'' (1524); German edition: ''Geistl. Bluthandel Iohannis Hussz zu Constenz'' (1524 or 1525) * ''Pandectarum Veteris et Novi Testamenti'' (1527) * ''Catalogi virorum illustrium veteris et novi testamenti'' (1527) * ''Catechesis puerorum in fide, in literis et in moribus'' (1529)
''Herbarum vivae eicones''
3 Bde. (1530–36) * ''Catalogus illustrium medicorum seu de primis medicinae scriptoribus'' (1530) * ''Iatron medicamentorum simplicium'' (1533)
''Contrafayt Kreüterbuch (mit naturgetreuen Abb. v. Hans Weiditz)''
2 Vols., (1532–1537) * ''Onomastikon medicinae, continens omnia nomina herbarum, fruticum etc.'' (1534) * ''Epitome medices, summam totius medicinae complectens'' (1540) * ''In Dioscoridis historiam plantarum certissima adaptatio'' (1543) *
Von allerhandt apotheckischen Confectionen, Lattwergen, Oel, Pillulen, Träncken, Trociscen, Zucker scheiblein, Salben unnd Pflastern etc. : wie, wenn und warzu man jeses brauchen soll
'' Gülfferich, Frankfurt am Main (1552)

Sources

* * * Jahn, Ilse, ed. ''Geschichte der Biologie.'' Spektrum 2000 * Mägdefrau, Karl. ''Geschichte der Botanik.'' Fischer, Stuttgart 1973, S. 20–36. * ''Meyers Konversationslexikon'' 1888–1889

Notes

External links

*
University of Oklahoma Libraries: images of works by and portraits of Brunfels
* ''Kräuterbuch'

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* ''Herbarum vivae eicones''

– ttp://bildsuche.digitale-sammlungen.de/index.html?c=viewer&bandnummer=bsb00084026&pimage=7&v=2p&nav=&l=de III, 1536
A selection of high-resolution scans of pages with botanical illustrations
from Brunfels' 1530 ''Herbarium'' – 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:Brunfels, Otto 1488 births 1534 deaths Carthusians Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz alumni 16th-century German Protestant theologians German Lutheran theologians 16th-century German Lutheran clergy 16th-century German botanists German entomologists German Protestant Reformers German male non-fiction writers 16th-century German male writers