Johann Friedrich Esper
Johann Friedrich Esper (born October 6, 1732 in Neudrossenfeld , † July 18, 1781 in Wunsiedel ) was a German naturalist and theologian .
Life
Esper came from a Protestant pastor's family and accordingly first studied theology in Erlangen and was then a teacher in Bayreuth for five years . During this time he conducted nature studies and dealt in particular with botany . In 1759 he became a parish clerk with his father in Herzogenaurach . In 1762 he received his doctorate in Erlangen. In 1763 he was given a pastor's post in Uttenreuth . In 1778 he became superintendent and school inspector in Wunsiedel, where he died in 1781.
Apart from some writings on astronomy and other subjects of the natural sciences, he made a lasting contribution by researching the fossils found in the caves of Franconian Switzerland . Among other things, he was the first to scientifically describe the remains of a cave bear found in the Zoolithenhöhle near Burggälereuth .
The Esper cave near Leuzdorf was named after him in his honor.
Fonts
- True and remarkable fates of travelers, together with those of the monuments of divine providence that are expressed. Taken together from various both newer and older travelogues (Erlangen o. J., 3 vol .; 2nd edition Erlangen 1825, edited by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert ; new edition: Erlangen 1989; ISBN 3-628-40634-X )
- From the passage of Venus through the sun (In: Franconian collections of notes from natural science, Arzneygelahrheit, economics and related sciences. Nuremberg 1761)
- From the green wooden stone near Adelsdorf (In: Franconian collections of notes from the theory of nature, Arzneygelahrheit, economy and related sciences. Nuremberg 1767)
- Instruction to observe the course of comets (Erlangen 1770; digitized version )
- Detailed information on newly discovered zooliths of unknown quadruped animals, and those containing them, as well as various other memorable tombs in the Upper Mountain region of the Marggrafthum Bayreuth. With fourteen illuminated copper panels (Knorr, Nuremberg 1774; digitized ; reprint: Pressler, Wiesbaden 1978)
- The originality of the spherical bodies in the vitriol-containing slate (natural f. No. 6)
- Journey to the Gailenreuth osteolite caves (Berlin 1784; writings of the Berlin Society of Friends of Natural Sciences 5)
- Brief description of the peculiarities recently discovered in the osteolite tombs of Gailenreuth, not far from Muggendorf in Baireuthischen… (In: Fränkisches Archiv 1, 1790, pp. 77–105, addendum ibid. 2, 1790, pp. 165–204)
literature
- Literature by and about Johann Friedrich Esper in the catalog of the German National Library
- Wilhelm von Gümbel: Esper, Johann Friedrich . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1877, p. 376 f.
- Florian Heller: Esper, Johann Friedrich. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 4, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1959, ISBN 3-428-00185-0 , p. 655 f. ( Digitized version ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Esper, Johann Friedrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German natural scientist and theologian |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 6, 1732 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Neudrossenfeld |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 18, 1781 |
| Place of death | Wunsiedel |