Hermann Burmeister (1807–1891)

CHAPTER FOUR HERMANN BURMEISTER (1807–1891) Karl Hermann Konrad Burmeister was born in 1807 in the Prussian Baltic port of Stralsund, until 1815 a Swedish possession.1 In 1827 he began his studies in Halle, under the direction of celebrated physician and botanist Kurt Sprengel (1766–1833). He was awarded his M.D. in 1829 with a the- sis on insect taxonomy. Shortly thereafter, he gained his Ph.D., present- ing an overview of fĳish anatomy. The following year he moved to Berlin, taking up a post as surgeon to the Kaiser Franz Grenadier Regiment. He apparently hoped, ultimately, to serve as a military surgeon in the tropics, perhaps in the Dutch East Indies. When this ambition was thwarted, he abandoned medical practice in favor of natural history, remaining in Ber- lin, in close proximity to his friend Alexander von Humboldt. He lectured in Berlin Gymnasien [preparatory schools] then at the University, from 1831 to 1837, when he returned to the University of Halle-Wittenberg, fĳirst as Lecturer, then Professor of Zoology. His charge included the Univer- sity’s museum, whose collections expanded greatly under his direction. 1843 saw the fĳirst publication of his great Geschichte der Schöpfung [His- tory of Creation], destined to go through several editions in both Ger- man and French. In scope and spirit, the fĳirst edition of this work is in many respects a precursor to Humboldt’s Cosmos. The French translation (1870) of the eighth edition of 1867 would contribute greatly to Burmeis- ter’s reputation in Argentina, since at the time few intellectuals could read German, but most knew French. The volatile year 1848 found Burmeister politically engaged, active in socialist organizations of markedly nationalist stripe.2 In 1849 he was elected to a seat in the Prussian Herrenhaus, which he resigned in frustra- tion the following year. That same year, 1850, with his friend Humboldt’s support, Burmeister fĳinally fulfĳilled his desire to visit the tropics. He spent nearly two years in Brazil, including several weeks in the company of 1 See Deutsches Meeresmuseum 1993, 7–32. 2 Socialists were very important in maintaining the importance of Burmeister. We have found evidence that, through the Paris Vorwärts, even Karl Marx may have come to know and appreciate his work. Grandjonc 1974, 63. 98 chapter four pioneering Danish-born paleontologist Peter Wilhelm Lund (1801–1880; see Simpson, 1983; see below, p. 104). Despite a leg injury that forced him to walk with a cane for the rest of his life, and a collision at sea, he returned to Halle in 1852 with vast additions to the museum’s collections in tow.3 Burmeister’s return to Halle in 1852 took him through Paris, where, as we mentioned above, he met Juan B. Alberdi, then the Argentine Con- federation’s Ambassador to France. Alberdi subsequently wrote President Urquiza on behalf of Burmeister, who was already planning his next voy- age. This second trip, also sponsored by Humboldt and beginning in 1856, took Burmeister from Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. After exploring and describing the geology of Mendoza with the support of the Argentine government, he purchased an agricultural estate on the banks of the Paraná, which he directed his son Heinrich Adolph to man- age. This venture ultimately failed. Heinrich returned to Buenos Aires in 1859, establishing himself as a successful merchant, while his father resumed his explorations. He set out fĳirst for San Miguel de Tucumán, crossed the Andes to Chile, and then sailed for Peru, returning to Europe via Panama in 1860. According to museum records, the scientifĳic bounty of this expedition was nothing short of astounding. As we have noted, after his return he found himself quite out of place in Halle. It was clear that his rivals were getting the upper hand in their con- trol over the discipline of morphology, and his classes, reduced to the sta- tus of electives in the medical curriculum, were only lightly attended.4 The opening of a position in Buenos Aires came at the perfect time. French naturalist Auguste Bravard had recently declined the job (he would, in any case, die in the Mendoza earthquake the following year) and Burmeis- ter saw his chance. After securing the sponsorship of Bartolomé Mitre and Domingo Sarmiento, he embarked for Buenos Aires in 1861. By the time he arrived, the political fortunes of these sponsors were in eclipse, and Burmeister’s appointment was not confĳirmed for some months. Eventu- ally, however, he set about the task of organizing the collections of the Museo, and of publishing the widely distributed, scientifĳically rich Anales del museo público [Annals of the Public Museum].5 3 See Taschenberg 1894. 4 See Taschenberg, op. cit.; Nyhart 1995, 101. 5 See Andermann 2005; Berg 1895; Biraben 1968. For a description of Burmeister’s activi- ties at the beginning of his appointment see Carranza 1865..

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