Johann Rudolf Rengger

Johann Rudolf Rengger (born January 13, 1795 in Baden ; † October 9, 1832 in Aarau ) was a Swiss naturalist and doctor.

Life

Johann Rudolf Rengger was born as the son of the reformed pastor Samuel Rengger in Baden . Since his parents died early, his uncle Albrecht Rengger , then Minister of the Interior of the Helvetic Republic , provided for his education, first at a private school, then from 1805 to 1812 at the Aarau Cantonal School . He then studied natural sciences and medicine in Lausanne and Tübingen . In 1817 he published the results of his research on insects under the title "Physiological investigations into the animal housekeeping of insects" and thereby earned his doctorate.

After a stay in Paris , Rengger decided to go on a research trip to South America with the Vaudois doctor M. Longchamp . For eight years he explored Paraguay's wildlife . At that time, under the dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, this country was practically isolated from the environment. Rengger only received an exit permit in 1825.

After his return Rengger first wrote the «Historical Essay on the Revolution of Paraguay and the Dictatorial Government by Dr. Francia ”, a work which prompted the dictator to respond ( The Times , November 6, 1830). This was followed by a work on the mammalian world of Paraguay, which aroused great interest in specialist circles. During a trip to Naples Rengger fell ill with pneumonia , after a partial recovery he was able to return to his homeland. His condition worsened again and he died on October 9, 1832 in Aarau. In 1835 his uncle Albrecht Rengger published the "Reise nach Paraguay" from his estate.

Works

• Physiological studies on the animal housekeeping of the insects (Tübingen 1817, digitized with Google book search )
• Historical experiment on the revolution of Paraguay and the dictatorial government by Dr. Francia (Stuttgart 1827, digitized with Google Book Search )
• Natural history of the mammals of Paraguay , (Basel, 1830, digitized with Google book search )
• Trip to Paraguay (Aarau 1835, digitized with Google Book Search )

literature

• Albert Schumann :  Rengger, Johann Rudolf . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 28, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1889, pp. 220-215.
• Rengger, Albrecht: Foreword to trip to Paraguay, pages iii-xlvi
• Max Oettli -Porta: Johann Rudolf Rengger (1795–1832). In: Argovia , annual journal of the Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau, Vol. 65, 1953, pp. 265–268 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Literature by and about Johann Rudolf Rengger in the catalog of the German National Library