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| Carl Linnaeus |
Carl Linnaeus (Latinized: Carolus Linnaeus; originally Carl Nilsson
Linnæus) was a Swedish botanist, naturalist, physician and zoologist. He
was the first person to lay down the principles to determine the
natural genera and species of organisms, and to form a uniform system
for naming them (also known as binomial nomenclature). Linnaeus is
considered to be the founding father of modern taxonomy as well as
ecology.
Early Life and Education:
Born in Roeshult, Sweden to a Lutheran minister, Carolus Linnaeus
frustrated his father by showing no interest in the priesthood. When he
entered the University of Lund in 1727 to study medicine, his parents
were quite excited, but within a year, he was transferred to the
University of Uppsala, where he took botany. Linnaeus acquired his
medical degree from the University of Harderwijk, Netherlands. He
received further education at the University of Leiden.
Contributions and Achievements:
Carolus Linnaeus put out his work “Systema Naturae” in 1735, the
first edition of his classification of living things. He came back to
Sweden in 1738 and practised medicine. In 1740, he took a teaching
position at the University of Uppsala.
Linnaeus, primarily known as a naturalist and botanist, was a leading
figure in the history of entomology. He laid down the binomial system
of nomenclature, which became the basis for the moderm classification of
living organisms. Widely known as the “father of biological systematics
and nomenclature”, Linnaeus also devised the wing vein-based system for
separation of orders, and set up the chronological starting point for
the naming of insects.
Later Life and Death:
Carolus Linnaeus used to travel extensively in Europe. He collected
and named several specimens from different countries of the world. His
1758 work “Systema Naturae 10th edition” is known to be the starting
point for naming of insects. All names prior to it are considered
outdated. Linnaeus was ennobled in 1761, and was later known as “Carl
von Linne”.
He died of stroke in Uppsala, Sweden, on June 10, 1778.
