Christian Peder Bianco Boeck

Christian Boeck.

Christian Peder Bianco Boeck (September 5, 1798 – July 11, 1877) was a Norwegian doctor, zoologist, botanist and mountaineer. He is most associated with his catalog of approved drugs, Pharmacopoea Norvegica (1854) and with his studies of trilobites.

He was married to Elisabeth Collett and lived in Løkken, Marienlyst in the borough of St. Hanshaugen in Kristiania (now Oslo). He worked as a lecturer in Veterinary science at the faculty of medicine in the University of Oslo (24 April 1828 until July 1840). He later became a professor in physiology. In 1849, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In his youth Boeck developed a keen interest in natural sciences.After his medical studies he traveled in Europe accompanied by Niels Henrik Abel and Baltazar Mathias Keilhau both intimate friends.

As a student he made, in 1820, a botanically motivated expedition to Jotunheimen, with a launch point from the farm of Skrebergo in Øystre Slidre, where he had studied years before. This trip, which he undertook together with Keilhau, resulted in the first ascent of Kalvehøgdi (12 July 1820), Falketind (14 July 1820) and Nordre Skagastølstind (July 1820) and the exploration of some lakes. Later, the expedition became known as the Jotunheimen discovery (Jotunheimens oppdagelse). Boeck never came back to the area.

Later (in 1836) Boeck and Keilhau went together along the Norwegian coast from Oslo to Trondheim to study a possible upheaval of the land. On these occasions Boeck obtained first hand knowledge of the various fields of geology. On several journeys abroad, sometimes accompanied by Keilhau, Boeck visited many scientific institutions and got in touch with leading geologists and biologists, including paleontologist Alexandre Brongniart.Boeck also collaborated with Michael Sars.With his broad knowledge of natura! science and of foreign scientific research,Boeck was a central figure in natural science. He joined in founding " Den physiographiske Forening" (later the Academy of Science in Oslo) and "Lægeforeningen i Kristiania" (later the Medical Society), and he was also for many years the editor of the periodical "Magazin for Naturvidenskaberne". Boeck began paleontological studies in his student days. In the Oslo Region he collected fossils,especially trilobites. Travels abroad gave him the opportunity of studying trilobites from Europe.In his first paper on trilobites (1827) Boeck presents a study of the group and deals with a number of foreign species which he personally had examined in Central European museum collections.His publications on trilobites are Boeck, C. 1827. Notitser til læren ,om trilobiterne. Mag. f. Naturvid. Årg. 1827, l.;1838. Uebersicht der bisher in Norwegen gefundenen Formen der Trilobiten.Familie. Gaea Norvegica l. Christiania.;1841. Om trilobiterne. Forhand!. Skand. Naturforsk. Andet møte 1840. Kjøbenhavn.;1851. Bemærkninger jangaaende graptoliterne. Universitetsprogram. Christiania.

References

Related reading

• Ryvarden, Leif (2007) Jotunheimen. Naturen, opplevelsene, historien (N.W. Damm & Søn AS) ISBN 978-82-04-10519-6
• Leif Størmer, 1939 Early descriptions of Norwegian trilobites the type specimens of C. Boek, M. Sars and M. E. Smarkpdf

External links

• Falketind in Norrona Magazine