Christian Hünemörder (historian)

Christian Wilhelm Hünemörder (born July 25, 1937 in Breslau ; † September 19, 2012 ) was a German historian specializing in the history of natural sciences .

Hünemörder studied classical philology and biology in Bonn , where he also became a member of the Alemannia fraternity . In 1966 he received his doctorate in Bonn and was then the only employee in a project funded by the German Research Foundation that was tailored to his needs. In 1970 he moved to the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences at the University of Hamburg . There he worked as a research assistant until 1976. After the sudden death of Walter Baron , Hünemörder took over the basic lecture for the history of biology , which he gradually expanded into a four-semester basic lecture from antiquity to the 20th century. His habilitation took place in 1977. He taught in Hamburg from 1977 until his retirement in October 2002 as director of the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology and Professor for the History of Natural Sciences. He was succeeded by Stefan Kirschner .

In the course of time, Hünemörder limited himself less and less to biology and also took part in the research discourse in other areas of the history of natural sciences. As a doctoral supervisor, he supervised 12 dissertations and worked as a co-supervisor on a further seven doctorates. He was also a supervisor for a habilitation (by Irmtraut Scheele). For the large lexicon works Lexikon des Mittelalters and Der Neue Pauly , he contributed as an author or co-author almost all contributions to biology. Participation in such encyclopedias was also in the tradition of Hünemörder's own research, as the history of natural history encyclopedias of the Middle Ages was one of his main areas of research alongside the development of biological disciplines.

In addition, he dealt with student history for many years and was chairman of the Society for Fraternity History Research .

Fonts (selection)

"Phasianus". Studies on the cultural history of the pheasant. 1970 (dissertation, University of Bonn, 1966).
The Cistercian Heinrich von Schüttenhofen 'Moralitates de naturis animalium': observations on his use of sources and on the early reception history of Bartholomaeus Anglicus and Thomas III. In: Josef Domes, Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Christoph Weißer, Volker Zimmermann (editor): Light of nature. Medicine in specialist literature and poetry. Festschrift for Gundolf Keil on his 60th birthday. Kümmerle, Göppingen 1994, ISBN 3-87452-829-4 , pp. 195-224.
as editor: From astronomy to alchemy. Significant scientific holdings from the 16th and early 17th centuries in the historical library of the city of Rastatt in the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Gymnasium. Stadtverwaltung Rastatt, Rastatt 1991, ISBN 3-923082-08-8 .
as editor: History of Science Today. Speeches and scientific lectures on the 25th anniversary of the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology at the University of Hamburg. (= Contributions to the history of science and technology. Volume 20), Steiner, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-515-04687-9 .
Biology and race biology in Hamburg from 1933 to 1945. In: Eckart Krause, Ludwig Huber, Holger Fischer (editor): Everyday life at the university in the »Third Reich«. The Hamburg University 1933–1945. 3rd part. (= Hamburg contributions to the history of science. Volume 3), Berlin / Hamburg 1991, pp. 1155–1196.

Web links

Literature by and about Christian Hünemörder in the catalog of the German National Library
Obituary with list of scriptures (PDF file; 298 kB)
Farewell lecture (PDF file; 733 kB)

Individual evidence

^ Obituary notice , Lübecker Nachrichten , September 23, 2012, accessed on October 3, 2012.
^ Stefan Kirschner: In memoriam Prof. Dr. Christian Hünemörder . In: News from the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Technology . 38-42, 2012, pp. 27-42, accessed Feb. 11, 2018.
↑ Cf. for example Christian Hünemörder: The meaning and working method of Thomas von Cantimpré and his contribution to the natural history of the Middle Ages. In: Medical History Journal. Volume 3, 1968, pp. 345-357.

personal data
SURNAME	Hünemörder, Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Hünemörder, Christian Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German science historian
DATE OF BIRTH	July 25, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH	Wroclaw
DATE OF DEATH	19th September 2012

[1] Obituary notice , Lübecker Nachrichten , September 23, 2012, accessed on October 3, 2012.

[2] Stefan Kirschner: In memoriam Prof. Dr. Christian Hünemörder . In: News from the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Technology . 38-42, 2012, pp. 27-42, accessed Feb. 11, 2018.

[3] Cf. for example Christian Hünemörder: The meaning and working method of Thomas von Cantimpré and his contribution to the natural history of the Middle Ages. In: Medical History Journal. Volume 3, 1968, pp. 345-357.