Johann Gerhard König (29 November 1728 – 26 June 1785) was a Baltic Germanbotanist and physician who served in the Tranquebar Mission, India before joining service under the Nawab of Arcot, and then the English East India Company. He collected natural history specimens including plants, particularly those of medical interest, from the region and several species are named after him including the curry tree(Murrayakoenigii).
König was born near Kreutzburg in Polish Livonia, which is now Krustpils in Latvia.[1] He was a private pupil of Carl Linnaeus in 1757, and lived in Denmark from 1759 to 1767 during which time he examined the plants of Iceland. In 1767 he joined as a medical officer to the Tranquebar Mission and on his voyage to India, he passed through Cape Town where he met Governor Rijk Tulbagh with an introduction from Linnaeus, collecting plants in the Table Mountain region from 1 to 28 April 1768. König replaced the position made available following the death of Halle-educated physician Samuel Benjamin Cnoll (1705–67).[2][3] In 1774 he took up a better paying position as naturalist for the Nawab of Arcot, serving in that position until 1778.[4][5][6] In 1773, he received the Doctor's degree in absentia from the University of Copenhagen possibly for his studies on indigenous remedies published as De remediorum indigenorum ad morbes cuivis regioni endemicos expuguandos efficacia. He became naturalist to the Nawab of Arcot in 1774 and embarked on a trip to the mountains north of Madras and to Ceylon, a description of which was later published in a Danish scientific journal. On 17 July 1778, König was appointed Naturalist at Madras with the British East India Company where he remained until his death, undertaking several scientific journeys and working with notable scientists like William Roxburgh, Johan Christian Fabricius and Sir Joseph Banks.
König followed the example of the Moravian South-Asian Mission in Tranquebar in collecting and trading natural history objects on a large scale.[3] His engagement in natural history encouraged missionaries like Christoph Samuel John, Johan Peter Rottler and the mission doctor Johann Gottfried Klein of the Tranquebar Mission to follow this path. The mission doctor of the Moravian South-Asian Mission, Benjamin Heyne, also followed the example of König and was appointed Naturalist of the British East India Company in 1793.[7] Most plants of König and his successors were sent back to Europe and described by A.J. Retzius, Roth, Schrader, Willdenow, Martin Vahl and James Edward Smith.[8] Only Rottler published his own descriptions.[9]
König made several visits around the region and perhaps the most notable of his journeys was to Siam and the Malacca Straits in 1778–80, in this period he spent several months studying the flora and fauna in Phuket.[10] He met Patrick Russell who arrived in India in 1782 at Tranquebar and the two remained in constant communication. He made trips to the hills near Vellore and Ambur and in 1776 a trip to the Nagori hills with George Campbell. In 1784, he visited Russell at Vizagapatnam on his way to Calcutta. On the way he suffered from dysentery and Roxburgh who was at Samalkota oversaw his treatment. He however did not recover and died at Jagannadhapuram, Kakinada in 1785. He bequeathed his papers to Sir Joseph Banks.[5][11]
He described many plants used in Indian Medicine and kept notes on other aspects of natural history including the termites of southern India[12] and the collection and use of their alates as food.[13] Koenig's collections of insects from southern India may have been used in descriptions by Fabricius.[14]
^Various sources give his birthplace as Ungernhof (a.k.a. Lemenen), a manor belonging to the estate of Kreutzburg/Krustpils. Krustpils, which is on the north bank of the Daugava, is now part of the city of Jēkabpils, which was then Jakobstadt in Courland on the south bank. Rao (1998) places his birth in "Lenaenen in Courland (Denmark)" - that, however, being clearly erroneous
^Jensen, Niklas Thode (2005-10-01). "The Medical Skills of the Malabar Doctors in Tranquebar, India, as Recorded by Surgeon T L F Folly, 1798". Medical History. 49 (4): 489–515. doi:10.1017/S0025727300009170. ISSN 0025-7273. PMC1251641. PMID 16562332.
^ abRuhland, Thomas (2021), Jensz, Felicity; Petterson, Christina (eds.), "The "United Brethren" and Johann Gerhard König: Cranz's History of Greenland as an Avenue to the Natural History of India", Legacies of David Cranz's 'Historie von Grönland' (1765), Christianities in the Trans-Atlantic World, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 209–237, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-63998-3_10, ISBN978-3-030-63997-6, S2CID 234318467, retrieved 2022-06-06
^Rottbøll, Christen Friis (1783). Beskrivelse af nogle Planter fra de malabariske Kyster, Til Pisoniæ buxifoliæ Beskrivelse, som Side 537 endes, følger følgende Oplysning, som et nyelig med Skibet Tranquebar fra Ostindien af Hr. Dr. Kønig mig tilsendt Exemplar [Description of some Plants from the Malabar Coasts ...]. Proceedings of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (in Danish).
^ abRao, B S Subba (1998) History of Entomology in India. Institution of Agricultural Technologists.
^Hagen, H.A. (1862). Bibliotheca entomologica. Die Litteratur über das ganze Gebiet der Entomologie, bis zum Jahre 1862. Vol. 1. p. 428.
^ Thomas Ruhland (2018). Pietistische Konkurrenz und Naturgeschichte. Die Südasienmission der Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine und die Dänisch-Englisch-Hallesche Mission (1755-1802). Herrnhut. pp. 282, 375-382
^Stewart, Ralph R. (1982). "Missionaries and clergymen as botanists in India and Pakistan" (PDF). Taxon. 31 (1): 57–64. doi:10.2307/1220590. hdl:2027.42/149715. JSTOR 1220590.
^King, George (1899). "A Sketch of the History of Indian Botany". Report of the 69th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Vol. 69. pp. 904–919.
^Gerolamo Emilio Gerini (1905). "Historical Retrospect of Junkceylon Island" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society: 32–41.
^MacGregor, Arthur (2018). "European Enlightenment in India: an Episode of Anglo-German Collaboration in the Natural Sciences on the Coromandel Coast, Late 1700s–Early 1800s". Naturalists in the Field: Collecting, Recording and Preserving the Natural World from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-First Century. BRILL. pp. 365–392. doi:10.1163/9789004323841_014. ISBN978-90-04-32384-1.
^König, Johann Gerhard (1779). Beschäftigungen der Berlinischen Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde. 4: 1–28 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41342653. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^Fletcher, T.B. (1921). "Koenig's paper on South Indian termites". Proceedings of the Fourth Entomological Meeting. Calcutta; Superintendent government printing, India. pp. 312-333.
^Dover, Cedric (1922). "Entomology in India". The Calcutta Review. 3 (2): 336–349.
johann, gerhard, könig, november, 1728, june, 1785, baltic, german, botanist, physician, served, tranquebar, mission, india, before, joining, service, under, nawab, arcot, then, english, east, india, company, collected, natural, history, specimens, including, . Johann Gerhard Konig 29 November 1728 26 June 1785 was a Baltic German botanist and physician who served in the Tranquebar Mission India before joining service under the Nawab of Arcot and then the English East India Company He collected natural history specimens including plants particularly those of medical interest from the region and several species are named after him including the curry tree Murraya koenigii Contents 1 Biography 2 References 2 1 Further reading 3 External linksBiography editKonig was born near Kreutzburg in Polish Livonia which is now Krustpils in Latvia 1 He was a private pupil of Carl Linnaeus in 1757 and lived in Denmark from 1759 to 1767 during which time he examined the plants of Iceland In 1767 he joined as a medical officer to the Tranquebar Mission and on his voyage to India he passed through Cape Town where he met Governor Rijk Tulbagh with an introduction from Linnaeus collecting plants in the Table Mountain region from 1 to 28 April 1768 Konig replaced the position made available following the death of Halle educated physician Samuel Benjamin Cnoll 1705 67 2 3 In 1774 he took up a better paying position as naturalist for the Nawab of Arcot serving in that position until 1778 4 5 6 In 1773 he received the Doctor s degree in absentia from the University of Copenhagen possibly for his studies on indigenous remedies published as De remediorum indigenorum ad morbes cuivis regioni endemicos expuguandos efficacia He became naturalist to the Nawab of Arcot in 1774 and embarked on a trip to the mountains north of Madras and to Ceylon a description of which was later published in a Danish scientific journal On 17 July 1778 Konig was appointed Naturalist at Madras with the British East India Company where he remained until his death undertaking several scientific journeys and working with notable scientists like William Roxburgh Johan Christian Fabricius and Sir Joseph Banks Konig followed the example of the Moravian South Asian Mission in Tranquebar in collecting and trading natural history objects on a large scale 3 His engagement in natural history encouraged missionaries like Christoph Samuel John Johan Peter Rottler and the mission doctor Johann Gottfried Klein of the Tranquebar Mission to follow this path The mission doctor of the Moravian South Asian Mission Benjamin Heyne also followed the example of Konig and was appointed Naturalist of the British East India Company in 1793 7 Most plants of Konig and his successors were sent back to Europe and described by A J Retzius Roth Schrader Willdenow Martin Vahl and James Edward Smith 8 Only Rottler published his own descriptions 9 Konig made several visits around the region and perhaps the most notable of his journeys was to Siam and the Malacca Straits in 1778 80 in this period he spent several months studying the flora and fauna in Phuket 10 He met Patrick Russell who arrived in India in 1782 at Tranquebar and the two remained in constant communication He made trips to the hills near Vellore and Ambur and in 1776 a trip to the Nagori hills with George Campbell In 1784 he visited Russell at Vizagapatnam on his way to Calcutta On the way he suffered from dysentery and Roxburgh who was at Samalkota oversaw his treatment He however did not recover and died at Jagannadhapuram Kakinada in 1785 He bequeathed his papers to Sir Joseph Banks 5 11 He described many plants used in Indian Medicine and kept notes on other aspects of natural history including the termites of southern India 12 and the collection and use of their alates as food 13 Koenig s collections of insects from southern India may have been used in descriptions by Fabricius 14 The standard author abbreviation J Koenig is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name 15 The plant genus Koenigia was named for him by Linnaeus as was a species of curry leaf tree Murraya koenigii References edit Various sources give his birthplace as Ungernhof a k a Lemenen a manor belonging to the estate of Kreutzburg Krustpils Krustpils which is on the north bank of the Daugava is now part of the city of Jekabpils which was then Jakobstadt in Courland on the south bank Rao 1998 places his birth in Lenaenen in Courland Denmark that however being clearly erroneous Jensen Niklas Thode 2005 10 01 The Medical Skills of the Malabar Doctors in Tranquebar India as Recorded by Surgeon T L F Folly 1798 Medical History 49 4 489 515 doi 10 1017 S0025727300009170 ISSN 0025 7273 PMC 1251641 PMID 16562332 a b Ruhland Thomas 2021 Jensz Felicity Petterson Christina eds The United Brethren and Johann Gerhard Konig Cranz s History of Greenland as an Avenue to the Natural History of India Legacies of David Cranz s Historie von Gronland 1765 Christianities in the Trans Atlantic World Cham Springer International Publishing pp 209 237 doi 10 1007 978 3 030 63998 3 10 ISBN 978 3 030 63997 6 S2CID 234318467 retrieved 2022 06 06 Rottboll Christen Friis 1783 Beskrivelse af nogle Planter fra de malabariske Kyster Til Pisoniae buxifoliae Beskrivelse som Side 537 endes folger folgende Oplysning som et nyelig med Skibet Tranquebar fra Ostindien af Hr Dr Konig mig tilsendt Exemplar Description of some Plants from the Malabar Coasts Proceedings of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in Danish a b Rao B S Subba 1998 History of Entomology in India Institution of Agricultural Technologists Hagen H A 1862 Bibliotheca entomologica Die Litteratur uber das ganze Gebiet der Entomologie bis zum Jahre 1862 Vol 1 p 428 Thomas Ruhland 2018 Pietistische Konkurrenz und Naturgeschichte Die Sudasienmission der Herrnhuter Brudergemeine und die Danisch Englisch Hallesche Mission 1755 1802 Herrnhut pp 282 375 382 Stewart Ralph R 1982 Missionaries and clergymen as botanists in India and Pakistan PDF Taxon 31 1 57 64 doi 10 2307 1220590 hdl 2027 42 149715 JSTOR 1220590 King George 1899 A Sketch of the History of Indian Botany Report of the 69th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Vol 69 pp 904 919 Gerolamo Emilio Gerini 1905 Historical Retrospect of Junkceylon Island PDF Journal of the Siam Society 32 41 MacGregor Arthur 2018 European Enlightenment in India an Episode of Anglo German Collaboration in the Natural Sciences on the Coromandel Coast Late 1700s Early 1800s Naturalists in the Field Collecting Recording and Preserving the Natural World from the Fifteenth to the Twenty First Century BRILL pp 365 392 doi 10 1163 9789004323841 014 ISBN 978 90 04 32384 1 Konig Johann Gerhard 1779 Beschaftigungen der Berlinischen Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde 4 1 28 https www biodiversitylibrary org page 41342653 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Missing or empty title help Fletcher T B 1921 Koenig s paper on South Indian termites Proceedings of the Fourth Entomological Meeting Calcutta Superintendent government printing India pp 312 333 Dover Cedric 1922 Entomology in India The Calcutta Review 3 2 336 349 International Plant Names Index J Koenig Further reading edit Sterll M 2008 Life and adventures of Johann Gerhard Konig 1728 1785 a phantom of the herbaria Rheedea 18 111 129 External links editLinnean herbarium Tranquebar and its History Biographies at Kew the Dutch Herbarium and Biographical Database of Southern African SciencePreceded byPosition established in 1778 Naturalist to the H E I C at Madras1778 1785 Succeeded byPatrick Russell Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Johann Gerhard Konig amp oldid 1191684933, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
