William Blandowski

Wilhelm (William) Blandowski (January 21 1822 - December 18 1878), a German zoologist and mining engineer, was born in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia (now: Gliwice, Poland). In 1849 he moved to Australia where he made a small fortune in the goldfields near Castlemaine, Victoria. He was a founder of the Geological Society of Victoria in 1852. He was the first scientist appointed to the new Victorian Museum on 1 April 1854.Paszkowski, L.K. (1969). 'Blandowski, William (1822 - 1878)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 3, Melbourne University Press, pp 182-183. [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030174b.htm] ] In 1856-1857 he led a scientific collecting expedition (the Blandowski Expedition) to the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers, which procured a large number of biological specimens for the museum, especially new fish species.

He was a member and on the council of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, a forerunner of the Royal Society of Victoria, but became a controversial figure in 1857 when he wrote an article describing some of his newly discovered fish species. In naming these fishes, he proposed to 'honour' certain members of the council by using their names for the specific names of the new species. However, for two of these species, named after two very prominent members of council, the following descriptions were used:

cquote|Sample N. Slimy, slippery fish. Lives in the mud. Is of a violent bluish colour on the belly. The whole upper surface is of a dirty olivish-green colour, with numerous irregular dark patches.

Sample B. A fish easily recognized by its low forehead, big belly and sharp spine.

When it is realized that one of the two members of council concerned was the leader of an important religious organization in Melbourne, and the other a highly respected physician in the city, it is understandable that a near-riot resulted. The author, refusing to withdraw his paper and description, was immediately censured, and his expulsion from the Institute sought. However, the necessary two-thirds majority not being obtained, the two Council members concerned immediately resigned from all active participation in the "Institute." [ [http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/smv/022.html Science and the making of Victoria - Philosophical Institute of Victoria] Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and The Royal Society of Victoria, accessed online at the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre website, December 29, 2006]

In 1857 and 1858 he ws a member of the Philosophical Institute's 'Exploration Committee' that organised the Burke and Wills expedition and Blandowski felt strongly that Victoria's should be actively involved in the exploration of Australia.

Blandowski returned to Europe in 1859 and complained of his treatment in Australia.He died in Bolesławiec (then Bunzlau) in 1878. He is commemorated in a genus of marine fish ("Blandowskius"), and of the Murray River perches ("Blandowskiella").

References