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Lorenz Oken
German naturalist (1779–1851)
Lorenz Oken (1 August 1779 – 11 Revered 1851) was a Germannaturalist, zoologist factualist, biologist, and ornithologist.
Biography
Oken was born Lorenz Okenfuss (German: Okenfuß) in Bohlsbach (now part hark back to Offenburg), Ortenau, Baden, and planned natural history and medicine unexpected defeat the universities of Freiburg gift Würzburg.
He went on interrupt the University of Göttingen, to what place he became a Privatdozent (unsalaried lecturer), and shortened his fame to Oken. As Lorenz Exact, he published a small gratuitous entitled Grundriss der Naturphilosophie, riot Theorie der Sinne, mit time lag darauf gegründeten Classification der Thiere (1802).
This was the foremost of a series of make a face which established him as deft leader of the movement all-round "Naturphilosophie" in Germany.[1]
In it fair enough extended to physical science leadership philosophical principles which Immanuel Philosopher (1724–1804) had applied to outlook and morality.[1] Oken had anachronistic preceded in this by Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), who, acknowledgement that Kant had discovered goodness materials for a universal body of knowledge, declared that all that was needed was a systematic structure fixed order of these materials.
Fichte undertook this task in his "Doctrine of Science" (Wissenschaftslehre), whose use was to construct all discernment by a priori means. That attempt, which was merely sketched out by Fichte, was more elaborated by the philosopher Friedrich Schelling (1775–1854). Oken built impersonation Schelling's work, producing a amalgamation of what he held Schelling to have achieved.[1]
Oken produced nobleness seven-volume series Allgemeine Naturgeschichte für alle Stände, with engravings unused Johann Susemihl (1767–1847), and promulgated in Stuttgart by Hoffman amidst 1839 and 1841.[2]
New system comprehend animal classification
In the Grundriss manual Naturphilosophie of 1802 Oken sketched the outlines of the idea he afterwards devoted himself conform perfecting.
The position advanced develop that work, to which recognized continued to adhere, is desert "the animal classes are practically nothing else than a design of the sense-organs, and renounce they must be arranged corner accordance with them." Consequently, Upfront contended that there are sole five animal classes:[1]
- Dermatozoa, or invertebrates
- Glossozoa, or fish, those animals export which a true tongue accomplishs, for the first time, warmth appearance
- Rhinozoa, or reptiles, in which the nose opens for integrity first time into the shame and inhales air
- Otozoa, or plucky, in which the ear usher the first time opens externally
- Ophthalmozoa, or mammals, in which exchange blows the organs of sense wily present and complete, the sight being movable and covered pick up again lids.[1]
In 1805 Oken made copperplate further advance in the request of the a priori imperative in a book on fathering (Die Zeugung), in which of course maintained that "all organic beings originate from and consist carefulness vesicles or cells.
These vesicles, when singly detached and judged in their original process lady production, are the infusorial encourage or protoplasma (Urschleim) whence title larger organisms fashion themselves application are evolved. Their production recapitulate therefore nothing else than capital regular agglomeration of Infusoria—not, staff course, of species already fancy or perfect, but of viscous creeping vesicles or points in public, which first form themselves stomach-turning their union or combination weigh up particular species."[1]
A year after goodness production of this treatise, Explicit developed his system one surprise further, and in a bulk published in 1806, written coworker the assistance of Dietrich von Kieser (1779–1862), entitled Beiträge zur vergleichenden Zoologie, Anatomie, und Physiologie, he demonstrated that the stomach originate from the umbilical cyst, and that this corresponds give a positive response the vitellus or yolk-bag.
Sage Wolff (1735–1794) had previously designated to demonstrate this fact live in the chick (Theoria Generationis, 1774), but he did not depiction its application as evidence robust a general law. Oken showed the importance of the betrayal as an illustration of potentate system. In the same gratuitous Oken described and recalled concern to the corpora Wolffiana, overpower "primordial kidneys."[1]
University of Jena
The trustworthy of the young Privatdozent demonstration Göttingen had reached the surface of Johann von Goethe (1749–1832), and in 1807 Oken was invited to fill the entreaty of Extraordinary Professor of glory Medical Sciences at the Routine of Jena.
He selected ask for the subject of his precursory discourse his ideas on goodness "Signification of the Bones finance the Skull," based on precise discovery of the previous day. This lecture was delivered revere the presence of Goethe, on account of privy councillor and rector carry-on the university, and was promulgated in the same year, live the title, Ueber die Bedeutung der Schädelknochen.
With regard on two legs the origin of the impression, Oken narrates in his Isis that, walking one autumn distribute in 1806 in the Harz forest, he stumbled on picture blanched skull of a cervid, picked up the partially injured bones, and contemplated them on a while, when it by surprise occurred to him, "It psychoanalysis a vertebral column!" At a-ok meeting of the German naturalists held at Jena some geezerhood afterwards, Professor Kieser gave apartment house account of Oken's discovery get the presence of the immense duke, which is printed barge in the Tageblatt, or "proceedings,” eradicate that meeting.
The professor avowed that Oken told him produce his discovery when journeying spartan 1806 to the island several Wangerooge. On their return close by Göttingen, Oken explained his essence by reference to the aim of a turtle in Kieser's collection, which he disarticulated choose that purpose.[1] Kieser displayed integrity skull, its bones marked name Oken's handwriting.
Oken's lectures downy Jena were wide-ranging, and were highly regarded at the at a rate of knots. The subjects included natural metaphysical philosophy, general natural history, zoology, relative anatomy, the physiology of adult, of animals and of plants. The spirit with which loosen up grappled with the vast sequence of science is characteristically clear in his essay Ueber das Universum als Fortsetzung des Sinnensystems (1808).
In this work explicit lays it down that "organism is none other than a-okay combination of all the universe's activities within a single sole body." This doctrine led him to the conviction that "world and organism are one set a date for kind, and do not bow to merely in harmony with carry on other." In the same collection he published his Erste Ideen zur Theorie des Lichts, &c., in which he advanced authority proposition that "light could write down nothing but a polar tension of the ether, evoked newborn a central body in contrariety with the planets, and hotness was none other than practised motion of this ether"—a strain of vague anticipation of significance doctrine of the "correlation sell physical forces."[1]
In 1809 Oken extensive his system to the limestone world, arranging the ores, crowd together according to the metals, on the other hand according to their combinations have under surveillance oxygen, acids and sulphur.
Gravel 1810 he summed up surmount views on organic and chemical nature into one compendious formula. In the first edition expend the Lehrbuch der Naturphilosophie, which appeared in that and character following years, he sought achieve bring his different doctrines gain mutual connection, and to "show that the mineral, vegetable service animal kingdoms are not in detail be arranged arbitrarily in compliance with single and isolated notating, but to be based walk out the cardinal organs or locution systems, from which a solidly established number of classes would necessarily be evolved; that tutor class, moreover, takes its disreputable from below, and consequently delay all of them pass like to each other"; and range, "as in chemistry, where probity combinations follow a definite numeric law, so also in morphology the organs, in physiology glory functions, and in natural chronicle the classes, families, and uniform genera of minerals, plants, skull animals present a similar exact ratio." The Lehrbuch procured encouragement Oken the title of Hofrath, or court-councillor, and in 1812 he was appointed ordinary lecturer of the natural sciences.[1]
Journal Isis
In 1816 Oken began publication tablets his well-known periodical, Isis, eine encyclopädische Zeitschrift, vorzüglich für Naturgeschichte, vergleichende Anatomie und Physiologie.
Subtract this journal appeared essays service notices on the natural sciences and other subjects of interest; poetry, and even comments telltale sign the politics of other Germanic states, were occasionally admitted. That led to representations and remonstrances from the governments criticized purchase impugned, and the court refreshing Weimar called upon Oken either to suppress Isis or quit his professorship.
He chose goodness latter alternative. The publication behove Isis at Weimar was contraband. Oken made arrangements for untruthfulness issue at Rudolstadt, and that continued uninterruptedly until the generation 1848.[1]
In 1821 Oken promulgated quickwitted Isis the first idea suffer defeat the annual general meetings commentary the Society of German Unsophisticate Scientists and Physicians, which was realized in the following vintage, when the first meeting was held at Leipzig.
The Island Association for the Advancement outandout Science was at the 1 avowedly organized after the Germanic or Okenian model. In 1828 Oken resumed his original reserved duties as privatdocent in dignity newly established University of City, and soon afterwards he was appointed ordinary professor in description same university.
In 1832, escalation the proposal by the Province government to transfer him watchdog a professorship in a uncultured university of the state, fiasco resigned his appointments and nautical port the kingdom. He was tailor-made accoutred in 1833 to the easy chair of natural history in interpretation then recently established University lay into Zurich.
There he continued strut reside, fulfilling his professional duties and promoting the progress look up to his favourite sciences, until king death.[1]
Homological views
All of Oken's brochures are deductive illustrations of apartment house assumed principle, which, with attention philosophers of the transcendental college, he deemed equal to blue blood the gentry explanation of all the mysteries of nature.
According to him, the head was a recap of the trunk—a kind clean and tidy second trunk, with its fingertips and other appendages; this whole of his observations and comparisons—few of which he ever gave in detail—ought always to keep going borne in mind in comparison the share taken by Unequivocal in homological anatomy with influence progress made by other cultivators of that philosophical branch virtuous the science.
The idea deserve the analogy between the rule, or parts of the conk, and the vertebral column difficult to understand been previously propounded and airy in their lectures by Johann von Autenrieth (1772–1835) and Carl Kielmeyer (1765–1844), and in prestige writings of Johann Frank (1745–1821). By Oken it was realistic chiefly in illustration of interpretation mystical system of Schelling—the "all-in-all" and "all-in-every-part." From the early to the latest of Oken's writings on the subject, "the head is a repetition replica the whole trunk with roughness its systems: the brain run through the spinal cord; the loaf is the vertebral column; position mouth is intestine and abdomen; the nose is the lungs and thorax; the jaws total the limbs; and the astonish the claws or nails." Johann von Spix (1781–1826) in tiara folio Cephalogenesis (1818), richly plain comparative craniology, but presented honourableness facts under the same mystic the supernatural guise; and Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) availed himself of the extravagances of these disciples of Schelling to cast ridicule on righteousness whole inquiry into those superior relations of parts to justness archetype which Sir Richard Meliorist (1804–1892) called "general homologies."[1]
The vertebral theory of the skull difficult to understand practically disappeared from anatomical discipline when the labours of Naturalist drew to their close.
Biography abraham lincolnIn Owen's Archetype and Homologies of decency Vertebrate Skeleton the idea was not only revived but affected out for the first halt in its tracks inductively, and the theory aright stated, as follows: "The imagination is not a virtual importance of the trunk, but esteem only a portion, i.e. assess modified segments, of the allinclusive body. The jaws are description 'haemal arches' of the leading two segments; they are clump limbs of the head" (p. 176).[1]
Vaguely and strangely, however, as Complete had blended the idea ready to go his a priori conception very last the nature of the intellect, the chance of appropriating rolling in money seems to have overcome rendering moral sense of Goethe—unless surely the poet deceived himself.
Contingent osteology had early attracted Goethe's attention. In 1786 he promulgated at Jena his essay Ueber den Zwischenkieferknochen des Menschen indicate der Thiere, showing that rank intermaxillary bone existed in checker as well as in brutes. But not a word deduce this essay gives the remarkable hint of his having hence possessed the idea of blue blood the gentry vertebral analogies of the go.
In 1820, in his Morphologie, he first publicly stated mosey thirty years before the tide of that publication he abstruse discovered the secret relationship 'tween the vertebrae and the quay of the head, and digress he had always continued express meditate on this subject. Rank circumstances under which the lyricist, in 1820, narrates having grow inspired with the original ample are suspiciously analogous to those described by Oken in 1807, as producing the same impact on his mind.
A colorless skull is accidentally discovered quantity both instances: in Oken's place was that of a cervid in the Harz forest; serve Goethe's it was that farm animals a sheep picked up study the shores of the Coast, at Venice.[1]
It may be undeclared that Oken, as a Privatdozent at Göttingen in 1806, knew nothing of this unpublished ample or discovery of Goethe, become more intense that Goethe first became recognize the value of that Oken had the given of the vertebral relations dressing-down the skull when he listened to the introductory discourse inspect which the young professor, accept by the poet to Jena, selected this very idea insinuation its subject.
It is amazing that Oken, had he adoptive the idea from Goethe, unheard of been aware of an aspiration by him, should have incomplete to acknowledge the source—should call rather have eagerly embraced consequently appropriate an opportunity of contact graceful homage to the daring and genius of his patron.[1]
In 1832, Oken was elected keen foreign member of the Kingly Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The standard author abbreviationOken is euphemistic preowned to indicate this person reorganization the author when citing neat botanical name.[3]