- Peter Artedi
Peter Artedi or Petrus Arctaedius (
February 22 ,1705 –September 27 ,1735 ) was a Swedish naturalist and is known as the "father of Ichthyology."Artedi was born in the province of
Ångermanland . Intending to become aclergyman , he went, in 1724, to studytheology atUppsala University , but he turned his attention tomedicine andnatural history , especiallyfish es. In 1728 his countrymanCarolus Linnaeus arrived in Uppsala, and a lasting friendship was formed between the two. In 1732 both left Uppsala, Artedi forEngland , and Linnaeus for Lappland; before parting they reciprocally bequeathed to each other their manuscripts and books in the event of death.Artedi accidentally drowned at
Amsterdam , where he was engaged in cataloguing the collections ofAlbertus Seba , a wealthy Dutchman, who had formed what was perhaps the richest museum of his time. According to agreement, his manuscripts came into the hands of Linnaeus, and his "Bibliotheca Ichthyologica" and "Philosophia Ichthyologica", together with a life of the author, were published atLeiden in 1738.On his grave, an
epitaph byGeorge Shaw is engraved::Here lies poor Artedi, in foreign land pyx'd:Not a man nor a fish, but something betwixt,:Not a man, for his life among fishes he past,:Not a fish, for he perished by water at last.
Further reading
* cite encyclopedia
last = Engel
first = H
title = Artedi, Peter
encyclopedia =Dictionary of Scientific Biography
volume = 1
pages = 305-306
publisher = Charles Scribner's Sons
location = New York
date = 1970
isbn = 0684101149
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