Sven Ingemar Ljungh, also spelled Liungh (5 June 1757, Björkö,

Jönköping County Jönköping County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The total county population was 356,291 inhabitants in September 2017. The capita ...

– 12 September 1828, Bälaryd, Jönköping County) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

civil servant, naturalist and collector of insects.

Biography

Ljungh was born on Björkö Prestgård in

Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...

to provost and priest Sven Ljlungh and Brigitta Oxelgren. He was educated at home until 1770 before studies under the lexicographer Håkan Sjögren from whom he learned the

Latin language Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. He then joined the Gymnasium in

Växjö Växjö () is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 71,282 inhabitants (2020) out of a Municipalities of Sweden, municipal population of 97,349 (2024). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial ce ...

in 1773, where he received a good education in botany. He went to the University of

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

in 1774, graduating in 1777 with a degree in theology. He attended the classes of Linnaeus the younger and even joined on a trip to Lapland in 1776. He then started to study medicine but fell ill to

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. After recovery he joined the civil services. He took up a position in the Swedish civil service as a clerk in the judicial system and in 1778 became the Deputy Crown Bailiff in North and South Vedbo. He was a scholar who exchanged correspondence with many contemporary scientists including Carl Thunberg, G Marklin,

Erik Acharius Erik Acharius (10 October 1757 – 14 August 1819) was a Swedish botanist who pioneered the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of lichens and is known as the "father of lichenology". Acharius was famously the last pupil of Carl Linnaeus. Life Ac ...

, Fr Ehrhart, Jan Brandes and others. As a collector of rodents, insects, birds and molluscs, he described many new species. He became a Fellow of the Patriotic Society, 1806, a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () 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 responsibility for promoting nat ...

, 1808 and member of the

Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg (, abbreviated KVVS and often known simply as ''Samhället'') is a Swedish Royal Academy. Its predecessor was founded in Gothenburg in 1773 and the academy took its present name in 1778. The sam ...

in 1808. He also worked on agriculture and meteorology and for his work on the former received the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

. In 1803 his insect collection had an estimated 5000-6000 species and he published many notes on exotic animals from Java, Ceylon and the Cape. After his death, none of his sons took an interest in natural history and his collections were sold.Neil Chambers (ed) 2000 The letters of Sir Joseph Banks: a selection, 1768-1820. etter 32World Scientific

References

External links

Biography on Swedish archives (in Swedish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ljungh, Sven Ingemar 1757 births 1828 deaths People from Vetlanda Municipality Swedish naturalists Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Order of Vasa Members of the Royal Society of Sciences and Letters in Gothenburg