Marcus Elieser Bloch
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Marcus Elieser Bloch. |
Marcus Elieser Bloch (
1723 -
1799) was a
German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important
ichthyologists of the
18th century.
An engraving of a Salmon from the Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands Bloch was born in
Anspach and practised as a physician in
Berlin. He is best known for his encyclopedic work in
ichthyology. Between
1782 and
1795 he published his
Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische, a 12-volume, beautifully illustrated comprehensive work on
fishes. The first three volumes describe fishes in
Germany and were entitled
Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands, the remaining volumes dealt with fishes from other parts of the world and were entitled
Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische.
Bloch's collection of about 1500 specimens is today preserved at the Museum for Natural History (
Naturhistorisches Museum) of the
Humboldt University of Berlin.
Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands, with images
