Carl Peter Thunberg
| Carl Peter Thunberg | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
11 November 1743 Jönköping, Sweden |
| Died | 8 August 1828 (aged 84) Thunaberg, Uppland, Sweden |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Other names |
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| Occupation | Naturalist |
Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. He has been called "the father of South African botany", "pioneer of Occidental Medicine in Japan" and the "Japanese Linnaeus".
Thunberg was born and grew up in Jönköping, Sweden. At the age of 18, he entered the Swedish Uppsala University where he was taught by the famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus who was mainly known for his work Philosophia Botanica (1751). Thunberg graduated in 1767 after only 6 years of studying. In order to deepen his knowledge in botany, medicine and natural history, he was encouraged by Linnaeus in 1770 to travel to Paris and Amsterdam. In Amsterdam and Leiden where he stayed to study the city's collection of plants and musea, Thunberg met the Dutch botanist and physician, Johannes Burman and his son Nicolaas Burman who himself had been a disciple of Linnaeus.
Having heard of Thunberg's inquisitive mind, his skills in botany and medicine and Linnaeus' high esteem of his Swedish pupil, Johannes Burman and Laurens Theodorus Gronovius, a councillor of Leiden, convinced Thunberg to travel to either the West or the East Indies to collect plants and animal specimen for the botanic garden at Leiden which was still lacking exotic exhibits. Thunberg who had ever since been fascinated by the secretive and mainly unknown East Indies was eager to travel to the Cape of Good Hope and apply his knowledge.
With the help of Burman and Gronovius, Thunberg entered the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, V.O.C.) as a surgeon on board of the Schoonzicht. As the East Indies where under Dutch control, the only way to enter the colonies was via the V.O.C. Hence, Thunberg debarked in December 1771. In March 1772, he reached Cape Town in South Africa.
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