The Linnaean Collections
THE LINNEAN SPECIAL ISSUE No. 7 The Linnaean Collections edited by B. Gardiner and M. Morris WILEY-BLACKWELL 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ © 2007 The Linnean Society of London All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The designations of geographic entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the publishers, the Linnean Society, the editors or any other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The Linnaean Collections Introduction In its creation the Linnaean methodology owes as much to Artedi as to Linneaus himself. So how did this come about? It was in the spring of 1729 when Linnaeus first met Artedi in Uppsala and they remained together for just over seven years. It was during this period that they not only became the closest of friends but also developed what was to become their modus operandi. Artedi was especially interested in natural history, mineralogy and chemistry; Linnaeus on the other hand was far more interested in botany. Thus it was at this point that they decided to split up the natural world between them. Artedi took the fishes, amphibia and reptiles, Linnaeus the plants, insects and birds and, while both agreed to work on the mammals, Linneaus obligingly gave over one plant family – the Umbelliforae – to Artedi “as he wanted to work out a new method of classifying them”.
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