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

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 ...

and

entomologist 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 arach ...

Biography

Born in Kristianstad, he matriculated at Lund University in 1758, where he graduated as a filosofie magister in 1766. He also trained as an apothecary apprentice. He received the position of docent 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

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on 6 October 1821. He described many new species of insects and did fundamental work on their

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. Retzius was elected a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...

in 1782. He was the father of Anders Retzius and grandfather of Gustaf Retzius. Disciples of Anders Jahan Retzius include the botanist Carl Adolph Agardh, the zoologist and archaeologist Sven Nilsson, the botanist and entomologist Carl Fredrik Fallén, and the entomologist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt. He was also an influence on the botanist Elias Fries 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

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*''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, ''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, ''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