Gaspard Bauhin

See also: Bauhin

Gaspard Bauhin (or Caspard Bauhin ), born the January 17th 1560 with Basle and dead the December 5th 1624, brother of Jean Bauhin, is a Naturaliste Suisse having been among the first to try to carry out a natural Classification Plantes.

Gaspard Bauhin follows its studies of medicine to Basle and travels much: Padoue, Bologna, Montpellier, Paris and Tübingen. It obtains its title of doctor in 1580. In 1582, he is professor of Greek at the university of Basle and in 1588, of Botanique and Anatomie. He also exerts medicine in this same city and becomes the vice-chancellor and the senior of his university. In 1614, it succeeds Felix Platter with the pulpit of medicine.

Its work of botany ensures durable famous to him. Pinax Theatri Botanici, SEN Index in Theoplirasti, Dioscoridis, Plinii, and botanicorum which has seculo scripserunt opera (1596) (published in Basle, 1671, in-4) described 2.700 species of which the first precise description of the Potato and classifies it with accuracy in the family of the Solanacée S.

In nostro Enumeratio plantarum ab herboriis saeculo descriptarum cum corum differentiis (1620), Bauhin describes 6.000 species, forty year old fruit of observation and decorated of 400 figures on wood.

Bauhin carries out also several Flore S of the surroundings of Basle ( Catalog plantarum circa Basileum nascentium… , 1622) and deal with the publication of work of Pierandrea Mattioli (1501-1577) by increasing them. It puts in building site a great project, heading Theatrum Botanicum , which was to count twelve volumes but Gaspard Bauhin finishes only three of them. It will appear in 1628 thanks to the care of his Jean-Gaspard son.

Gaspard Bauhin publishes also various works on the anatomy, in particular Theatrum Anatomicum infinitis locis auctum (1592) (published with Frankfurt, 1605, reprinted with great additions in 1621). The anatomy owes him some discoveries, inter alia that of the valvule placed between the ileon and the colonist ( valvule of Bauhin )

Bauhin marks a turning in the history of botany. It is not satisfied to take again and comment on the old texts. Based on a true work of observation, its herbarium contained more than 4.000 samples, it proposes an embryo of classification, certainly imperfect, and breaks with the alphabetical system. He proposes a short name, often made up of two words, and which precedes the binomial system of Carl von Linné.

Charles Plumier dedicated the to him kind Bauhinia of the family of the Légumineuse S. the name was then confirmed by Linné, thus entering the current scientific nomenclature under its authority.

External bonds

Works of Bauhin digitized by the SICD of the universities of Strasbourg

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