Hinrich Lichtenstein

Hinrich Lichtenstein (1780 to 1857), christened Martin Heinrich Karl, was a German physician, explorer and zoologist. Born in Hamburg as the son of a professor who later became abbot at Helmstedt, he studied medicine at Jena and Helmstedt and took his medical doctorate on 26 April 1802. He then went to the Cape Colony as tutor to the son of the Dutch governor General Janssens and as the family household physician, and in 1804 to 1806 he used his free time for zoological journeys; when war with England broke out he served as a surgeon-major in the Dutch army. His two volume travel account of southern Africa appeared in 1810 and 1811. In 1811 he became professor of zoology at the new University of Berlin and from 1813 until his death he directed its zoological museum, which grew through exchanges with other collections and through the younger workers he drew to it. He also took part in Berlin musical life. He died in 1857 on a steamer crossing between Korsør and Kiel.