Giovanni Antonio Scopoli

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (or Johannes Antonius Scopoli ), (June 13rd 1723, Cavalese in the the Tyrol - May 8th 1788, Pavia) is a Italian entomologist of culture born in an area managed by the Austria since centuries.

Biography

It makes its elementary studies in a private school, then its intermediate studies with Thirty, finally it studies with the Gymnasium Hall. After studies of medicine to Innsbruck and obtaining its diploma in 1743, it exerts medicine with Cavalese, Thirty and finally with Venice. In 1749, it marries Albina de' Miorini, the girl of Carlo Antonio, notable of Cavalese. Then, during two years, it remains in Styrie, with Graz and Seckau, in the continuation of Leopoldo Ernesto Firmian (1708-1783), bishop of Passau and cardinal starting from 1772.

It obtains with Vienna a diploma of universal medicine enabling him to exert anywhere in the Empire of Hasbourg. It devotes much time to study the fauna and the flora of the Tyrol. Scopoli constitutes large a Herbier and a vast collection of Insecte S. It ends up settling in Idria, a small village of the Carniole (today in Slovenia) as doctor and teacher of metallurgical chemistry near the mining company. It spends 16 years there, perpetually in conflict with the director who reproaches him for spending too much time to study the plants and the insects. It loses his wife and her daughter in fires of her house. In 1758, it rests with Lubiana at Caterina de Franchenfeldt. It publishes, in 1760, a flora of the area ( Flora carniolica ), and, in 1763, an entomological fauna . In 1767, it has by the imperial government to come to teach the Minéralogie and the Métallurgie with the Academy of Schemnitz. It occupies this function until in 1776. It loses his second wife and wife, in third wedding, Carolina de Feyenau, member of one of the more noble big families of Hungary. It maintains a correspondence followed with Carl von Linné (1707-1778).

It makes appear, between 1769 and 1772, Anni Historico-Naturales , in five volumes and which includes/understands an important ornithological part. It described there many new species of sound Cabinet of curiosities but also of the natural history museum of the Count Francesco Annibale Della Torne and the imperial menagerie.

He refuses, for patriotic reasons, the pulpit of mineralogy of the Academy of Science of Saint-Pétersbourg. In 1777, it obtains the pulpit of Natural history of the university of Pavia, under Austrian domination, where it teaches the Chimie and the Botanique, station which it preserves until its death. He works in particular at the sides of Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799). The relations between the two men very difficult and are peppered with varied incidents. Thus, Spallanzani and Scopoli are opposed as of the arrival of the first in Pavia, in particular because Scopoli is linnéen and not Spallanzani. This last makes appear two anonymous opuscules in 1788 where he makes fun of an error made by Scopoli in Deliciae Florae and Faunae Insubricae and povero physis intestinalis calls it (poor intestinal worm). Scopoli, accocie with Giovanni Serafino Volta (1764-1842), conservative of the natural history museum of Pavia, Motta di Livenza Antonio Scarpa (1747-1832), anatomist, and Gregorio Fontana (1735¬1803), mathematician, to show Spallanzani to have flown of the specimens of Natural history of the university natural history museum. A commission ends up bleaching it.

He is the author of Introductio AD historiam naturalem, sistens generated lapidum, plantarum and animalium hactenus detected, caracteribus essentialibus donata, in tribes divided, light subinde AD naturae (1777), an important book of initiation to the natural history. Its last work is Deliciæ Floræ and Faunæ Insulicæ (in three volumes) which describes many animal species and vegetable. So in the first of Flora carniolica Scopoli adopts a system of denomination based on several names, the 2nd edition will adopt the system binominal linnéen. It loses in 1787, the use of the right eye, undoubtedly following an intensive use of the microscope.

Scopoli is, seems it, the first to have had the idea to dedicate of the Espèce S news to people. It contributes considerably to the rise of the natural science in Italy and to the adoption of the nomenclature linnéenne. In spite of a life struck by misfortunes - it loses several times its library and its manuscripts - one owes him 57 publications.

Appendices

List partial of the publications