Arthur Wichmann

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CEA Wichmann
Arthur Wichmann (2nd from right, front) with expedition team in northern New Guinea in 1903

Carl Ernst Arthur Wichmann (born April 9, 1851 in Hamburg ; † November 28, 1927 there ) was a German geologist and mineralogist .

Life

Wichmann was professor of geology at the University of Utrecht from 1879 to 1921, where he founded the geological institute. His daughter was the lawyer and anarcho-syndicalist set Clara Wichmann , his son of the artist and a fascist Erich Wichmann .

Arthur Wichmann was the son of the private school teacher and city historian Ernst Heinrich Wichmann and spent his youth in Hamburg. From 1871 to 1874 he studied at the University of Leipzig , where he was a student of Ferdinand Zirkel , who aroused his interest in mineralogy. In Leipzig he became a member of the Arminia fraternity , at the same time as the equally prominent geologist Felix Wahnschaffe . For a few years he was assistant to Zirkel, then he became a professor at the University of Utrecht .

Geological research had not been carried out in Utrecht until then, and Wichmann devoted himself to founding a geological institute. In addition to research and teaching, Wichman began to build up a geological collection, for which he took part in expeditions to Dutch colonies : 1888–1889 to the Dutch East Indies ( Celebes , Flores , Timor , including the Eastern Portuguese part and Roti ) and 1902–1903 - together with Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz - to New Guinea .

North New Guinea Expedition 1903

Expedition ship Zeemeeuw

In 1903 Wichmann led the first official Dutch expedition for the scientific exploration of New Guinea, among other things to discover possible minable coal deposits on the north coast of the Dutch part of the island. The expedition focused on Geelvink Bay (today: Cenderawasih Bay ), Humboldt Bay (today: Yos Sudarso Bay ) and Lake Sentani . Other participants were Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz, the military doctor Gijsbertus Adrian Johan van der Sande (responsible for anthropology and ethnography), the zoologist Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879–1968) and the former bird of paradise dealer Johannes Maximiliaan Duma. 30 men from North Borneo ( Dayak ) were hired as auxiliary personnel , two hunters and seven other servants.

The expedition ship Zeemeeuw (Seemöve) was used for investigations from the sea. In addition, a base camp was set up on the small island of Metu Debi in Jautefa Bay (south of Jayapura ) for land expeditions along the coast and into the hinterland. Lake Sentani was explored on the Zeemeeuw lifeboat after being carried overland. Stones, biological preparations were placed in alcohol and numerous ethnographic objects were collected.

As a scientist, Wichmann was mainly interested in mineralogy and petrology . He worked on the geological aspects of the Siboga expedition . After his retirement in 1921, he returned to his native Hamburg, where he died in 1927. His successor in Utrecht was Louis Martin Robert Rutten (1884-1946).

Honors

In 1898 he was elected a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina .

Writings and works

  • Rocks from Timor and some neighboring islands. Leiden, EJ Brill, 1882-1887
  • Nova Guinea . Uitkomsten of the Nederlandsche Nieuw-Guinea-Expeditie in 1903 or suffering from Dr. Arthur Wichmann, Professor te Utrecht [Results of the Dutch New Guinea Expedition 1903].
Vol. I: History of the Discovery of New Guinea (until 1828). Leiden, EJ Brill, 1909. Digital copy:
Vol. II, 1: History of the Discovery of New Guinea (1828 to 1885). Leiden, EJ Brill, 1910.
Vol. II, 2: History of the Discovery of New Guinea (1885 to 1902). Leiden, EJ Brill, 1912.
Vol. IV: Report on the trip to New Guinea made in 1903. Leiden, EJ Brill, 1917.
  • Report on a trip to the Indian archipelago made in 1888–89 on behalf of the Dutch Geographical Society. Leiden, EJ Brill, 1890-92.
Part 1: I. Java, II. Celebes.
Part 2: III. Flores.
Part 3: IV. Timor, V. Rotti.
  • The earthquake of the Indian archipelago. Volume 1 and 2. Amsterdam 1918. In: Negotiations of the Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen, Afd. Natuurkunde, 2. Sect. Deel 20, No. 4 and Deel 22, No. 5.
1. By 1857.
2. From 1858 to 1877.
  • Geological results of the Siboga expedition. Leiden, EJ Brill, 1925 (Siboga-expeditie / Monograph 66 (= Livr. 100))
  • Numerous articles on volcanological, geological and petrographic content in Dutch journals.

literature

  • Pieter Marks: Honderd jaar geologically onderwijs aan de rijksuniversiteit Utrecht . Utrecht University 1979.
  • Reinould L. Vissers: Arthur Wichmann, grondlegger van de Aardwetenschappen in Utrecht . In: Bernard C. de Pater (ed.): Minnaars der aarde, ver van huis en hard. Over 125 years geowetenschapen aan de Universiteit Utrecht . Utrecht University 2004, pp. 15-28, ISBN 90-6266-242-0 .

Web links

Commons : Carl Ernst Arthur Wichmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. The First Dutch Expedition on Papua Heritage Foundation ( online )
  2. ^ List of members Leopoldina, Arthur Wichmann
  3. History of the discovery of New Guinea