Ernst Friedrich, Baron von Schlotheim
Ernst Friedrich von Schlotheim ( born April 2, 1764 in Allmenhausen for special Hausen, † March 28, 1832 in Gotha ) was a German geologist and paleontologist, Duke of Saxony- coburg - gothaischer Lord Marshal, a member of the Illuminati order. Schlotheim was known far beyond Germany as an important paleontologist and as the founder of scientific paleobotany. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Schloth. ".
Life and work
Ernst Friedrich Freiherr von Schlotheim studied from 1782 on Law and Kameralwissenschaft and natural sciences (including Johann Friedrich Blumenbach ) at the University of Göttingen. Here he was taken into the Masonic Lodge Augusta at the three flames. In 1784 he returned to Gräfentonna, where he privately studied mineralogy. 1791 to 1792 he studied Oryktognosie and ferrous metallurgy with Abraham Gottlob Werner and from 1792 mining machinery engineering at the Mining Academy Freiberg, together with Alexander von Humboldt, Johann Carl -free life and Leopold von Buch.
After he had followed in the Harz practical occupations in mining and metallurgy, he entered 1793 in Gotha as assessor in the chamber a quorum. He was Kammerrat 1805, 1817 Chamber President, 1822 Superintendent of the Museum newly formed and finally in 1828 Marshal of the duchy of Saxe -Coburg and Gotha.
In 1804 appeared his work in Gotha Description remarkable herbal footprints and plant fossils. With this, he achieved a turnaround in terms of the natural history of life. In this work Schlotheim compares the morphological similarity of fossil plant impressions with recent forms. Later he undertook a geognostical analysis with respect to the occurrence of fossil plants, which he announced in his writing contributions in writing to the natural history of the fossils in geognostischer ways.
Schlotheim became known far beyond Germany as an important paleontologist and founder of scientific paleobotany. From Schlotheim the basics of Leitfossilkunde created in Germany, and his publications had fundamentally for the emerging paleontology. Vent home greatest achievement is the application of actualism in paleontology. He compared the fossils with today's living organisms and incorporated into the binary system of Linnaeus. From the comparisons he could draw conclusions as to the then environment.
In 1808 he became a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, August 15, 1811 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences in Erfurt profit. 1823 he was appointed the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and its Member. The Leopoldina took him on 28 November 1823.
Goethe was on 28 April 1817 in his diary: " (Jena), spoken Mr. President of the Chamber of Schlotheim particularly fossils".
His private collection of fossils, minerals and meteorites grew year after year to one of the greatest of his time. After his death in 1832, the paleontological collection was sold to the Prussian state and is still in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin.
Its small but important collection of meteorites Schlotheim sold to the ducal collection in Gotha, where she still holds a special place.
Writings
- Description remarkable herbal footprints and plant fossils ( Gotha, 1804)
- Contributions in writing to the natural history of the fossils in geognostischer respects (Munich, 1817).
- The Petre Fact customer at their current positions by the description of its collection and petrified fossil remains of the animal and plant kingdoms of the ancient world. ( Gotha, Becker'sche Bookstore, 1820)
- Supplements to Petre Fact customer. ( Gotha, Becker'sche Bookstore, 1822)