Heinz Christian Pander, also Christian Heinrich Pander ( Russian: Христиан Иванович Пандер; – ) was a Russian

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 embryologist of Baltic German origin.

Biography

In 1817 he received his doctorate from the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...

, and spent several years (1827–1842), performing scientific research from his estate in

Carnikava Carnikava ( Livonian: ''Sarnikau'', , ''Zarnikau''), previously Sānkaule, is a village and the center of the Carnikava Parish of Ādaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It's located 25 km north from Riga at the mouth of the ...

() on the banks of the Gauja River near Riga. In 1820 he took part in a scientific expedition to Bokhara as a

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. In 1826 he became a member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Research

Pander studied the chick

embryo An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sp ...

and discovered the

germ layer A germ layer is a primary layer of cell (biology), cells that forms during embryonic development. The three germ layers in vertebrates are particularly pronounced; however, all eumetazoans (animals that are sister taxa to the sponges) produce tw ...

s (i.e., three distinct regions of the embryo that give rise to the specific organ system). Because of these findings, he is considered by many to be the "founder of embryology". His work in embryology was continued by

Karl Ernst von Baer Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer Edler von Huthorn (; – ) was a Baltic German scientist and explorer. Baer was a naturalist, biologist, geologist, meteorologist, geographer, and is considered a, or the, founding father of embryology. He was a m ...

(1792-1876), who expanded Pander's concept of germ layers to include all

vertebrate Vertebrates () are animals with a vertebral column (backbone or spine), and a cranium, or skull. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylum Vertebra ...

s. Pander performed important studies in the field of

paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

, being known for his extensive research on fossils found in the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

and

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

geological strata of the Baltic regions. His study of

trilobite Trilobites (; meaning "three-lobed entities") are extinction, extinct marine arthropods that form the class (biology), class Trilobita. One of the earliest groups of arthropods to appear in the fossil record, trilobites were among the most succ ...

s from this age led to the adjective 'Panderian', first used by the Canadian palaeontologist, Elkanah Billings. Pander is credited as the first scientist to describe primitive creatures known as

conodont Conodonts, are an extinct group of marine jawless vertebrates belonging to the class Conodonta (from Ancient Greek κῶνος (''kōnos''), meaning " cone", and ὀδούς (''odoús''), meaning "tooth"). They are primarily known from their hard ...

s. Today the Pander Society is an international association of

palaeontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

s and stratigraphers with a common interest in the study of conodonts. He died in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Eponyms

Pander's eponyms are: * Pander's islands or blood islands

Selected writings

* ''Beiträge zur Entwickelungsgeschichte des Hühnchens im Eye'', (Contributions to the embryology involving the chick egg), (1817). * ''Beiträge zur Naturkunde aus den Ostseeprovinzen Rußlands'', (Contributions on the natural history of the

Baltic region The Baltic Sea Region, alternatively the Baltic Rim countries (or simply the Baltic Rim), and the Baltic Sea countries/states, refers to the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea, including parts of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. Un ...

s) Dorpat, (1820). * ''Vergleichende Osteologie'' (Comparative osteology) seven volumes, with Eduard Joseph d'Alton,

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

: Weber, (1821–1828). * ''Beiträge zur geognosie des russischen reiches'', (Contributions to the

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

of the Russian Empire), 1830. * ''Monographie der Fossilen Fische des silurischen Systems der Russisch-Baltischen Gouvernements'' (Monograph of fossil fish from the

stratum of the Baltic regions), St. Petersburg, (1856). * ''Ueber die Placodermen des devonischen Systems'', (On

placoderm Placoderms (from Ancient Greek πλάξ 'plax'', ''plakos'''Plate (animal anatomy), plate' and δέρμα 'derma'''skin') are vertebrate animals of the class (biology), class Placodermi, an extinct group of prehistoric fish known from Pal ...

s of the Devonian system), 1857. * ''Über die ctenodopterinen des devonischen systems'', 1858 * ''Über die saurodipterinen, dendrodonten, glyptolepiden und cheirolepiden des devonischen systems'', 1860.OCLC Classify
(publications)

References

Gilbert, ''Developmental biology''

Latvian Technical and Scientific Achievements
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pander, Heinz Christian 1794 births 1865 deaths Scientists from Riga People from Riga county Baltic-German people from the Russian Empire Paleontologists from the Russian Empire Conodont specialists Explorers from the Russian Empire Biologists from the Russian Empire Germ layers Full members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Demidov Prize laureates

Biography

Research

Eponyms

Selected writings

See also

References