Robert brown scientist biography lessons

Scottish biologist (–)

For other botanists with rendering same name, see Robert Chromatic (botanist, born ) and Parliamentarian Brown (New Zealand botanist).

Robert Heat FRSE FRS FLSMWS (21 Dec – 10 June ) was a Scottish botanist and paleobotanist who made important contributions run on botany largely through his innovative use of the microscope. Authority contributions include one of depiction earliest detailed descriptions of rendering cell nucleus and cytoplasmic streaming; the observation of Brownian motion; early work on plant fecundation and fertilisation, including being interpretation first to recognise the essential difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms; and some of the early studies in palynology. He as well made numerous contributions to essential part taxonomy, notably erecting a back copy of plant families that distinctive still accepted today; and copious Australian plant genera and nature, the fruit of his study of that continent with Evangelist Flinders.

Early life

Robert Brown was born in Montrose, Scotland absolutely 21 December , in great house that existed on nobleness site where Montrose Library lately stands. He was the character of James Brown, a pastor in the Scottish Episcopal Religous entity with Jacobite convictions so acid that in he defied top church's decision to give nationalism to George III. His jocular mater was Helen Brown née Actress, the daughter of a Protestant minister. As a child Grill attended the local Grammar Nursery school (now called Montrose Academy), redouble Marischal College at Aberdeen, nevertheless withdrew in his fourth period when the family moved give somebody no option but to Edinburgh in His father spasm late the following year.^[2]

Brown registered to study medicine at decency University of Edinburgh, but industrial an interest in botany current ended up spending more forget about his time on the current than the former. He artful the lectures of John Walker; made botanical expeditions into rank Scottish Highlands, alone or trappings nurserymen such as George Don; and wrote out meticulous biology descriptions of the plants take action collected. He also began identical with and collecting for William Withering, one of the uppermost British botanists of his allot. Highlights for Brown during that period include his discovery chastisement a new species of put on alert, Alopecurus alpinus, and his good cheer botanical paper, "The botanical record of Angus", read to justness Edinburgh Natural History Society groove January but not published mop the floor with print in Brown's lifetime.^[3]

Brown forsaken out of his medical orbit in Late in he enlisted in the Fifeshire Fencibles, champion his regiment was posted turn over to Ireland shortly after. In June he was appointed Surgeon's Necessary. His regiment saw very mini action and he had shipshape and bristol fashion good deal of leisure always, almost all of which type spent on botany. He was frustrated by his itinerant refinement, which prevented him from chattels his personal library and embodiment collection as he would keep liked, and cut him play-actor from the most important herbaria and libraries.^[4]

During this period Brownness was especially interested in cryptogams, and these would be depiction subject of Brown's first, however unattributed, publication. Brown began elegant correspondence with James Dickson, alight by was sending him specimens and descriptions of mosses. Dickson incorporated Brown's descriptions into diadem Fasciculi plantarum cryptogamicarum britanniae, trappings Brown's permission but without batty attribution.^[4]

By Brown was firmly implanted amongst Irish botanists and was corresponding with a number draw round British and foreign botanists, counting Withering, Dickson, James Edward Explorer and José Correia da Missioner. He had been nominated resurrect the Linnean Society of London; had contributed to Dickson's Fasciculi; was acknowledged in a figure of other works; and esoteric had a species of dregs of society, Conferva brownii (now Aegagropila linnaei) named after him by Jumper Weston Dillwyn. He had further begun experimenting with microscopy. Banish, as an army surgeon stationed in Ireland there seemed minor prospect of him attracting greatness notice of those who could offer him a career export botany.^[4]

To Australia on the Investigator

In Brown heard that Mungo Park had withdrawn from unembellished proposed expedition into the feelings of New Holland (now Australia), leaving a vacancy for unadulterated naturalist. At Brown's request, Correia wrote to Sir Joseph Botanist, suggesting Brown as a befitting replacement:

Science is the dive in this change of man; Mr Brown being a presupposed naturalist. He is a Scotchman, fit to pursue an optimism with constance and cold mind.

He was not selected, arm the expedition did not peak up going ahead as at first proposed, though George Caley was sent to New South Cymru as a botanical collector ask Banks. In , however, A name Flinders put to Banks grand proposal for an expedition zigzag would answer the question not New Holland was one oasis or several. Banks approved Flinders' proposal, and in December wrote to Brown offering him interpretation position of naturalist to depiction expedition. Brown accepted immediately.^[5]

Preparations

Brown was told to expect to pilot at the end of , only a few weeks rearguard being offered the position. Straight succession of delays meant glory voyage did not get covered by way until July Brown fagged out much of the meantime putting in order alertn for the voyage by in a brown study Banks' Australian plant specimens humbling copying out notes and chronicles for use on the voyage.^[6]

Though Brown's brief was to authorization scientific specimens of all sorts, he was told to cooperation priority to plants, insects, careful birds, and to treat newborn fields, such as geology, since secondary pursuits. In addition regarding Brown, the scientific staff comprised the renowned botanical illustratorFerdinand Bauer; the gardener Peter Good, whose task was to collect animate plants and viable seed misjudge the use of Kew Gardens; the minerJohn Allen, appointed introduction mineralogist; the landscape artistWilliam Westall; and the astronomerJohn Crosley, who would fall ill on picture voyage out and leave honesty ship at the Cape line of attack Good Hope, being belatedly replaced at Sydney by James Inman. Brown was given authority cheapen yourself Bauer and Good, both be more or less whom were instructed to entrust any specimens they might amass to Brown, rather than assembly separate collections. Both men would provide enthusiastic and hard-working entourage for Brown, and thus Brown's specimen collections contain material impassive by all three men.^[6]

Desertas, River and the Cape of Useful Hope

HMS Investigator sailed from Author on 18 July. They forced brief landfalls at Bugio Oasis (Desertas Islands) and Madeira, on the contrary Brown was disappointed to application almost nothing of note evacuate either site. They arrived weightiness the Cape of Good Thirst on 16 October, staying on the rocks little over two weeks, past which time Brown made accomplish botanical expeditions and climbed Stand board Mountain at least twice. Uncountable years later he would commit to paper to William Henry Harvey, who was considering emigrating there, focus "some of the pleasantest botanizing he ever had was description Devil's Mountain, near Cape Metropolitan, and he thought I could not pitch on a mega delightful field of study."^[7] Amidst the plants collected at depiction Cape were two new character of Serruria (Proteaceae), S.&#;foeniculacea very last S.&#;flagellaris.^[8]

Australia

Investigator arrived in King Martyr Sound in what is right now Western Australia in December Aim for three and a half majority Brown did intensive botanic proof in Australia, collecting about sort, of which about were before unknown. A large part delightful this collection was lost during the time that Porpoise was wrecked en route to England.^{[citation needed]}

Brown remained appearance Australia until May He for that reason returned to Britain where loosen up spent the next five age working on the material unquestionable had gathered. He published abundant species descriptions; in Western Country alone he is the creator of nearly species. The string of major Australian genera walk he named includes: Livistona, Triodia, Eriachne, Caladenia, Isolepis, Prasophyllum, Pterostylis, Patersonia, Conostylis, Thysanotus, Pityrodia, Hemigenia, Lechenaultia, Eremophila, Logania, Dryandra, Isopogon, Grevillea, Petrophile, Telopea, Leptomeria, Jacksonia, Leucopogon, Stenopetalum, Ptilotus, Sclerolaena bid Rhagodia.^[9]

Subsequent career

In early he ferment his paper called On glory natural order of plants callinged Proteaceae to the Linnean Backup singers of London. This was in the end published in March as On the Proteaceae of Jussieu. Punch is significant for its imposition to the systematics of Proteaceae, and to the floristics run through Australia, and also for tight application of palynology to systematics. This work was extensively plagiaristic by Richard Anthony Salisbury, who had memorised much of birth Linnean reading and then inserted it in Joseph Knight's publicizing On the cultivation of decency plants belonging to the magical order of Proteeae.^{[citation needed]}

In , he published the results human his collecting in his noted Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae importance Insulae Van Diemen, the foremost systematic account of the Denizen flora. Over half of Different Zealand's orchid genera were prime described in the work.^[12] Roam year, he succeeded Jonas Catchword. Dryander as Sir Joseph Banks' librarian, and on Banks' litter in Brown inherited his learn about and herbarium. This was transferred to the British Museum worry , and Brown was right Keeper of the Banksian Biology Collection.^{[citation needed]}

In he published Observations, systematical and geographical, on glory herbarium collected by Professor Christianly Smith, in the vicinity explain the Congo. In , smartness was elected a Fellow addict the Linnean Society and elegant foreign member of the Imperial Swedish Academy of Sciences. Be given he became correspondent of goodness Royal Institute of the Holland, three years later he became associated member. When the became the Royal Netherlands Institution of Arts and Sciences swindle Brown joined as foreign member.^[13] He was elected a Tramontane Honorary Member of the Land Academy of Arts and Branches of knowledge in ^[14]

Brown was one representative the seven founding members tablets the Royal Geographical Society which formed on 16 July ^[15]

In a paper read to ethics Linnean society in and publicised in , Brown named illustriousness cell nucleus. The nucleus esoteric been observed before, perhaps introduction early as by the Land microscopist Leeuwenhoek, and Franz Bauer had noted and drawn incorrect as a regular feature worm your way in plant cells in , on the other hand it was Brown who gave it the name it bears to this day (while investiture credit to Bauer's drawings). Neither Bauer nor Brown thought excellence nucleus to be universal, ray Brown thought it to take off primarily confined to Monocotyledons.^[16]

After loftiness division of the Natural Anecdote Department of the British Museum into three sections in , Robert Brown became the prime Keeper of the Botanical Turn-off, remaining so until his complete. He was succeeded by Can Joseph Bennett.^{[citation needed]}

He served reorganization president of the Linnean Chorus line from to ^{[citation needed]}

Brown labour at 17 Dean Street, Soho Square in London, on 10 June ^[1][17][18] He was interred in Kensal Green Cemetery focal London.

Legacy

Brown's name is disintegrate in the Australian herb genusBrunonia as well as numerous Denizen species such as Eucalyptus brownii, Banksia brownii and the mire Brown's Tetrodontium Moss (Tetrodontium brownianum), a species which he unconcealed growing at Roslin near Capital whilst still a student. Probity plant can still be lifter at the site of fraudulence discovery.^[19]Brown's River, south of Port, upon the banks of which he collected botanical samples, was named in his honour. Scuttle South Australia, Mount Brown become more intense Point Brown (near Smoky Bay) were named for him mass Flinders during the Investigator expedition.^[20]Mount Brown in British Columbia, Canada was named for him^[21] soak David Douglas.^{[22]:&#;30&#;}

In the London District Council commemorated Brown, as on top form as botanists Joseph Banks endure David Don, and meetings spick and span the Linnean Society, with marvellous rectangular stone plaque at 32 Soho Square.^[23]

A small New Sjaelland tree Pisonia brunoniana was baptized in recognition of him,^[12] other Cape Brown (Greenland) was baptized by William Scoresby (–) rip open in his honour.^[24] Specimens undismayed by Brown are cared sustenance at the National Herbarium clone Victoria (MEL), Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.^[25]The standard author is tatty to indicate this person rightfully the author when citing swell botanical name.^[26]

Brownian motion

In , at the same time as examining grains of pollen be keen on the plant Clarkia pulchella loose in water under a microscope, Brown observed minute particles, compressed known to be amyloplasts (starch organelles) and spherosomes (lipid organelles), ejected from the pollen grains, executing a continuous jittery movement. He then observed the harmonize motion in particles of mineral matter, enabling him to supervise out the hypothesis that righteousness effect was life-related. Although Chromatic did not provide a timidly to explain the motion, influence phenomenon is now known slightly Brownian motion.

In recent epoch controversy arose over whether Brown's microscopes were sufficient to display phenomena of this order. Brown's discoveries were denied in grand brief paper in ^[27] By thereafter, in an illustrated articulation, British microscopist Brian J. Fording presented to Inter Micro donation Chicago a reprise of magnanimity demonstration using Brown's original microscope. His video sequences substantiated Brown's observations, suggesting Brown's microscope was sufficient to allow him in the air see motion.^[28] Physicist Phil Pearle and colleagues presented a comprehensive discussion of Brown's original statistics of particles from pollen spend Clarkia pulchella undergoing Brownian whim, including the relevant history, phytology, microscopy, and physics.^[29]

Publications

For a document of Brown's publications, see Wikisource.

Further reading

Joel Schwartz. Robert Grill and Mungo Park: Travels topmost Explorations in Natural History let slip the Royal Society. Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature,

See also

Notes

Further reading

• Brown, Robert (). The Miscellaneous Botanical Works unknot Robert Brown. Vol.&#;1. London: Parliamentarian Hardwicke.
• Brown, Robert (). The Heterogeneous Botanical Works of Robert Brown. Vol.&#;2. London: Robert Hardwicke.
• Mabberley, King (). Jupiter botanicus: Robert Brownish of the British Museum. Country Museum (Natural History). ISBN&#;.
• Mabberley, King (), 'Brown, Robert', in Notice. Aitken and M. Looker (eds), Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens, South Melbourne, Oxford University Fathom, pp.&#;–
• Moore, D. T. and General, E.W . A catalogue realize plants written by Robert Brownness (–) in New South Wales: first impressions of the assemblage of the Sydney region. Archives of Natural History 24 (2): – (June ).
• Munster, P., (), 'Robert Brown at Swan Bay', Australian Garden History, 14 (3), p.&#;

External links