Johann Fischer von Waldheim
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Image:Fischer von Waldheim 1771-1853.jpg Johann Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim , Grigorij Ivanovitsch Fischer von Waldheim in Russian (October 13, 1771 – October 18, 1853) was a German anatomist, entomologist and paleontologist.
Fischer was born in Waldheim, Saxony, the son of a linen weaver. He studied medicine at Leipzig. He travelled to Vienna and Paris with his friend Alexander von Humboldt and studied under Georges Cuvier. He took up a professorship at Mainz, and then in 1804 became Professor of Natural History and Director of the Natural History Museum at the Moscow Academy. In August 1805 he founded the Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.
Fischer was mainly engaged in the classification of invertebrates, the result of which was his Entomographia Imperii Rossici (1820-1851). He also spent time studying fossils from the area around Moscow.
Fischer had a reputation as being something of a ladies man which coupled with his swashbuckling nature that often involved challenging rival professors to duels over minor disputes made him something of a sensation in the gossip pages of his day.
Reference
- Biographies for Birdwatchers, Barbara and Richard Mearns ISBN 0-12-487422-3de:Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim