Gaspard Bauhin
 |
Gaspard Bauhin |
Gaspard Bauhin, or
Caspar Bauhin (
January 17,
1560 –
December 5,
1624), was a
Swiss botanist.
Gaspard Bauhin introduced
binomial nomenclature into
taxonomy, which was much later taken up by
Linnaeus. Bauhin's work,
Pinax theatri botanici (1596), was the first to use this convention for naming of species. He also worked on human
anatomical nomenclature.
His brother,
Johann Bauhin, or
Jean Bauhin, was also a physician and
botanist.
Jean and Gaspard were the sons of
Jean Bauhin (1511-1582), a French
physician who had to leave his native country on becoming a convert to Protestantism. Gaspard was born at
Basel and studied medicine at
Padua,
Montpellier, and in
Germany. Returning to Basel in 1580, he was admitted to the degree of doctor, and gave private lectures in
botany and
anatomy. In 1582 he was appointed to the
Greek professorship in that university, and in 1588 to the chair of anatomy and botany. He was later made city physician, professor of the practice of medicine, rector of the university, and dean of his faculty.
In addition to
Pinax Theatri Botanici, Gaspard planned another work, a
Theatrum Botanicum, meant to be comprised in twelve parts folio, of which he finished three; only one, however, was published (1658). He also gave a copious catalogue of the plants growing in the environs of Basel, and edited the works of
Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1500-1577) with considerable additions. His principal work on anatomy was
Theatrum Anatomicum infinitis locis auctum (1592).
