Biography

German naturalist and astronomer. Marcgrave was an early contributor to the knowledge of Brazil's natural history as co-author of Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648).

Georg Marcgrave was born in Liebstadt near Dresden and studied astronomy, botany, mathematics and medicine in German and Swiss universities before moving to Leiden, Holland, in 1636. After two years continuing his studies in astronomy and botany he was hired by the Dutch West India Company to travel to north-east Brazil as an astronomer. The region was then under Dutch control and the colonial governor, Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), sought to explore the country's natural history and geography. To this end Maurits had sent for Marcgrave and another student of medicine and mathematics, H. Cralitz. A physician, Willem Piso, was also brought over to Maurits' base in what is now Recife, in the state of Pernambuco.

The scientific party arrived in 1738, Piso assuming charge of medicinal botany while Marcgrave and Cralitz looked to other aspects of the land. Both Piso and Marcgrave practised medicine in Recife, supporting the count in campaigns against Portuguese forces, but the young German Cralitz succumbed to tropical hazards, dying within 12 months of his arrival. Marcgrave won favour with the count, who helped him to set up an observatory in Recife. As well as working here Marcgrave travelled extensively, collecting animals and plants over a wide area. He too, however, was eventually stricken with a lethal fever. While preparing to sail for home in 1644, Marcgrave had been unexpectedly called upon to travel to Angola, where on arrival he died from the illness.

The count and Willem Piso thus returned to Holland without Marcgrave or Cralitz, but laden with considerable collections of specimens and the confusing notes of Marcgrave. The astronomer had written his natural history findings in a cipher, purportedly to prevent Piso claiming credit for the work. (His mathematical and astronomical work was not in code; and with Piso knowing nothing of these subects this fact lends weight to the theory that Marcgrave, with great foresight, was indeed attempting to foil any act of plagiarism on the part of the physician.)

Piso's contributions to the first edition of Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648) were contained in four books of 12 volumes, under the heading De medicine Brasiliense, while eight volumes on botany and zoology were compiled from the material authored by Marcgrave. Johannes de Laet (1593-1649), director of the Dutch West India Company, decoded and edited Marcgrave's work for this edition, but when a second edition of the Historia appeared ten years later under the title De Indiae Utrusque re naturali et medica, Piso carelessly made his own treatment of Marcgrave's work. For this he was severely criticised by, among others, Carl Linnaeus.

While both men obviously made remarkable contributions to the knowledge of Brazil's natural history, Marcgrave's work is considered in many quarters to exceed that of Piso in quality as well as quantity, despite his shorter years. A large map of Brazil produced by Marcgrave was also published posthumously in 1747. Indeed, after these explorations, nothing was written on Brazilian botany for more than 150 years except for the observations made by La Condamine in the mid-1700s. Although Rio de Janeiro was an international shipping port in the 17th and 18th centuries, few ventured beyond the city, largely thanks to the intimidating rule of Spanish and Portuguese administration.

Sources:
R.F. Erickson, "Willem Piso", MBG Rare Books:
http://www.illustratedgarden.org/mobot/rarebooks/author.asp?creator=Piso,%20Willem&creatorID=111
E.W. Gudger, 1912, "Georg Marcgrave, the first student of American Natural History", The Popular Science Monthly, 81: 250-274
A.R. Steele, 1964, Flowers for the King: 14
P.J.P. Whitehead, 1979, "The biography of Georg Marcgraf (1610-1643/4) by his brother Christian, translated by James Petiver", Journal of the Society of Bibliography of Natural History, 9: 301-314.