Johann Jakob von Tschudi
Johann Jakob von Tschudi | |
|---|---|
 Johann Jakob von Tschudi | |
| Born | Johann Jakob von Tschudi 25 July 1818 Glarus, Switzerland |
| Died | 8 October 1889 (aged 71) |
| Occupation(s) | Naturalist, explorer, diplomat |
Johann Jakob von Tschudi (25 July 1818 – 8 October 1889) was a Swiss naturalist, explorer, and diplomat. He is known for his travels in South America, his scientific contributions to zoology and anthropology, and his diplomatic service for Switzerland.
Early life and education
[edit]Tschudi was born in Glarus to Johann Jakob Tschudi, a merchant, and Anna Maria Zwicky.[1] He studied natural sciences and medicine at the universities of Neuchâtel, Leiden, and Paris.
Exploration and scientific work
[edit]In 1838, Tschudi travelled to Peru, where he remained for five years exploring and collecting plants in the Andes. He moved to Vienna in 1843. In 1845, he described 18 new species of South American reptiles.[2] Between 1857 and 1859, he visited Brazil and other countries in South America.
Tschudi wrote a textbook on Peru titled Peruvian Antiquities in which he recorded various aspects of Peruvian life and history.[3] In the book, he explained the various skull angles of Peruvians in the context of the Angle of Camper. Tschudi claimed that Camper's facial angles were an "important angle in anthropology", whose "greater or less opening indicates the intellectual superiority of a race, and, up to a certain point, of individuals".[4] He included engravings of a mummified foetus found near Tarma to argue that the cranial shape of the Huancas was not the result of cultural practices after birth.
Diplomatic career
[edit]In 1860, Tschudi was appointed Swiss ambassador to Brazil, a position he held until 1868. During this period, he continued to explore the country and collected plants for the museums of Neuchâtel, Glarus, and Freiburg. In 1868, he was appointed Swiss minister to Vienna.
Legacy
[edit]Tschudi is commemorated in the scientific names of several animals, including a species of venomous South American coral snake, Micrurus tschudii,[5] the montane guinea pig (Cavia tschudii), and the Tschudi's yellow-shouldered bat. Birds named after him include the Tschudi's tapaculo, Tschudi's nightjar, and the Tschudi's woodcreeper.
Works
[edit]- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1838). Classification der Batrachier, mit Berücksichtigung der fossilen Thiere dieser Abtheilung der Reptilien (in German). Neuchâtel: Petitpierre. OCLC 64755212.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1844–1847). Untersuchungen über die Fauna Peruana (in German). St. Gallen: Scheitlin und Zollikofer.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1845). "Reptilium conspectus quae in Republica Peruana reperiuntur et pleraque observata vel collecta sunt in itinere". Archiv für Naturgeschichte (in Latin). 11 (1). Berlin: 150–170.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1846). Peruanische Reiseskizzen während der Jahre 1838–42 (2 volumes) (in German).
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1853). Die Ketchua-Sprache (3 volumes) (in German). Vienna: Kaiserl.-Königl. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1860). Reise durch die Andes von Süd-Amerika (in German). Gotha: J. Perthes.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1863). Die brasilianische Provinz Minas Geraes (in German). Gotha: Justus Perthes.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1866–1869). Reisen durch Südamerika (5 volumes) (in German). Stuttgart: F.A. Brockhaus. OCLC 273091.
- von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1884). Organismus der Khets̆ua-Sprache (in German). Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus. OCLC 12964271.
He also co-edited, with Mariano Eduardo de Rivero y Ustáriz:
- de Rivero y Ustáriz, Mariano Eduardo; von Tschudi, Johann Jakob (1851). Antigüedades Peruanas [Peruvian Antiquities] (in Spanish). Translated by F. L. Hawks. Vienna: Imprenta Imperial de la Corte y del Estado.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Feller-Vest, Veronika. "Johann Jakob von Tschudi". Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (in French). Translated by Pierre-G. Martin.
- ^ "Tschudi". The Reptile Database.
- ^ von Tschudi, Johann Jakob; de Rivero y Ustáriz, Mariano Eduardo (1855). Peruvian Antiquities. Translated by Francis L. Hawkes. Cincinnati: A.S. Barnes & Co.
- ^ von Tschudi, Johann Jakob. Peruvian Antiquities. p. 29.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
References
[edit]- Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1889). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
Further reading
[edit]- Taylor, Tom; Taylor, Michael (2011). Aves: A Survey of the Literature of Neotropical Ornithology. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Libraries.
External links
[edit]- Works by Johann Jakob von Tschudi at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Johann Jakob von Tschudi at the Internet Archive
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