HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Carl August Dohrn (27 June 1806 – 10 May 1892) was a German
entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
who was a founding member of the
Stettin Entomological Society The Entomological Society of Szczecin (), more commonly known as the Entomological Society of Stettin or Stettin Entomological Society, based in Szczecin (formerly Stettin), was one of the leading entomological societies of the 19th century. Most Ge ...
. He collected insects, particularly beetles and described several species. He was also known for his literary works, translation of Spanish dramas, and as a man of letters and a promoter of music. He was the father of the marine biologist
Anton Dohrn Felix Anton Dohrn FRS FRSE (29 December 1840 – 26 September 1909) was a prominent German Darwinist and the founder and first director of the first marine-biological and zoological research station in the world, the Stazione Zoologica in Nap ...
and the entomologist
Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn (16 June 1838, Braunschweig – 1 October 1913, Florence) was a German zoologist, entomologist, and malacologist.Coan E. V., Kabat A. R. & Petit R. E. (15 February 2011)''2,400 years of malacology, 8th ed.'', 936 pp ...
.


Biography

Born at Stettin (
Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
, now
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) Carl August was the son of Johanna Hüttern and Heinrich Dohrn, who was a wine and spice merchant, and had made the family fortune by refining and trading in sugar. This wealth allowed Carl August to devote himself to his various hobbies; travelling, folk music and entomology. He went to the University of Berlin in 1822 to study law but became more interested in literature and music. In 1831 he travelled for six years through Europe, North Africa and South America. He examined sugar production in Algeria and Brazil and returned to German in 1837. He translated dramas by Calderon from Spanish and a collection of Swedish folks songs and became noted as a man of letters. He studied English so as to study the works of Shakespeare.
Frederick William IV Frederick William IV (; 15 October 1795 – 2 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, was King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 until his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to as the " romanticist on the t ...
of Prussia took an interest in his literary work and Dohrn's close friends included
Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
and
Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, natural history, naturalist, List of explorers, explorer, and proponent of Romanticism, Romantic philosophy and Romanticism ...
. He managed the Pomeranian sugar refinery after the death of his father in 1852. From 1859 to 1861 he represented Stettin in the Prussian House of Representatives. Although interested in all orders of insects Dohrn specialised in
Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
. His first published paper was in the ''Entomologische Zeitung'' for 1845 but he was an active entomologist long before this, since he had acted as Secretary to the
Stettin Entomological Society The Entomological Society of Szczecin (), more commonly known as the Entomological Society of Stettin or Stettin Entomological Society, based in Szczecin (formerly Stettin), was one of the leading entomological societies of the 19th century. Most Ge ...
from its foundation in 1839 and edited its journal. He was elected president of the society in 1843 retiring from the post in 1887. During this time he held together the rather fractious German entomologists and the society flourished. He edited ''Linnaea entomologica'' with 16 volumes issued from 1846 to 1866. Dohrn had many contacts including
Alexander Henry Haliday Alexander Henry Haliday (1806–1870, also known as Enrico Alessandro Haliday, Alexis Heinrich Haliday, or simply Haliday) was an Ireland, Irish entomologist. He is primarily known for his work on Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Thysanoptera, but wor ...
, with whom he wrote a paper on the Linnaean
Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...
(See Talk:Carl August Dohrn) and the London entomologists. He was a personal friend of
Henry Tibbats Stainton Henry Tibbats Stainton (13 August 1822 – 2 December 1892) was an England, English entomologist. He served as an editor for two popular entomology periodicals of his period, ''The Entomologist's Annual'' and ''The Entomologist's Weekly Intellig ...
with whom he stayed in England. A frequent visitor to London he was accompanied by the
Lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the two superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post-Renaissance, the r ...
,
Philipp Christoph Zeller Philipp Christoph Zeller (8 April 1808 – 27 March 1883) was a German entomologist. Zeller was born at Steinheim an der Murr, Württemberg, two miles from Marbach, the birthplace of Schiller. The family moved to Frankfurt (Oder) where Ph ...
in 1852, by
Carl Henrik Boheman Carl Henrik Boheman (10 July 1796 – 2 November 1868) was a Sweden, Swedish entomologist. He collected specimens in Norway and became a curator of the Swedish museum of natural history and described numerous beetle species. Life and work Bohem ...
in 1854 and by
Hermann August Hagen Hermann August Hagen (30 May 1817 – 9 November 1893) was a German entomologist who specialised in Neuroptera and Odonata. He had established himself as one of Europe's preeminent entomologists by 1867 when he accepted a position at Harvard Univ ...
in 1857. He held musical evenings at his home, playing the piano and singing himself or examining the works of other composers. The composer Felix Mendselssohn Bartholdy was a regular attendee and friend. He spent many summers in Italy, in
Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...
with Haliday and in
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
with
Maximilian Spinola Maximilian Spinola (; July 10, 1780 – November 12, 1857) was an Italian entomologist. Background Spinola was born in Pézenas, Hérault, France. The family of Spinola was of very long standing and had great wealth and power in Genoa. Max ...
. Dohrn was elected a fellow of the
Entomological Society of London The Royal Entomological Society is a learned society devoted to the study of insects. It aims to disseminate information about insects and to improve communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological S ...
in 1855 and an honorary member in 1855. A
classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...
he was fluent in many European languages including English. In 1862 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Königsberg. His
Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
collection was very extensive and just prior to his death, at 86, he had received upwards of 1,000
beetles Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
from
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
. He also had a large library. Both the books and his insect collections were donated to the Stettin Museum but much of it was destroyed in World War II because of which several species that he described such as ''Dromica bertinae'' are treated as ''nomen dubium'' (the types having been lost). The bird species '' Glaucis dohrnii'' originally under the genus ''Ramphodon'' was named after him.


Family

Dohrn married Adelheid née Dietrich (1803–1883) in 1837 which caused problems in his relationship with his father. It was only through mediation by Alexander von Humboldt that they were reconciled. They had a daughter and three sons. Their son Felix Anton Dohrn, named after godfather Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, became an ardent supporter of
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...
and famous
marine zoologist 01 or 01 may refer to: * The year 2001, or any year ending with 01 * The month of January * 1 (number) Music * ''01'' (Richard Müller album), 2001 * ''01'' (Urban Zakapa album), 2011 * ''01011001'', the seventh studio album from Arjen Anthony L ...
. Another, older, son
Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn Heinrich Wolfgang Ludwig Dohrn (16 June 1838, Braunschweig – 1 October 1913, Florence) was a German zoologist, entomologist, and malacologist.Coan E. V., Kabat A. R. & Petit R. E. (15 February 2011)''2,400 years of malacology, 8th ed.'', 936 pp ...
was also an entomologist.


References


External links


Gaedike, R.; Groll, E. K. & Taeger, A. 2012: Bibliography of the entomological literature from the beginning until 1863 : online database - version 1.0 - Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut.
Bibliography (Citations) 1806 births 1892 deaths Scientists from Szczecin German entomologists People from the Province of Pomerania Fellows of the Royal Entomological Society Zoologists from the Kingdom of Prussia {{entomologist-stub