Davidia involucrata (pigeon tree) in the Jena Botanical Garden
| Time-table | |
|
1749 |
born in Frankfurt am Main |
| 1765–68 | Studied law in Leipzig; scientific reading and discussions (Linné, Buffon, Haller) |
| 1769 | Frankfurt: alchemical readings and experiments (Paracelsus and others) |
| 1770–71 | Studied law in Strasbourg; attended lectures in chemistry, anatomy, surgery |
| 1774–75 | Collaboration on Lavater's »Physiognomischen Fragmenten« |
| 1776 | Civil servant in Weimar; mining science. Mineralogy |
| 1779–80 | Second trip to Switzerland; geological issues (Buffon, de Saussure) |
| 1781–82 | Anatomy studies for drawing lessons (Loder) |
| 1784 | Discovery of the intermaxillary bone in humans |
| 1785–86 | Botanical and microscopic studies |
| 1787 | Search for the »Urpflanze« (“original plant”) |
| 1789/90 | »Versuch die Metamorphose der Pflanzen zu erklären« (“Attempt to explain the metamorphosis of plants") |
| 1790–95 | Type and metamorphosis developed in the animal kingdom Project of a morphology Color theory started with two »Beiträgen zur Optik« |
| 1796 | Plant growth and insect metamorphosis observed |
| 1797 | Third trip to Switzerland; geological observations Emergence of romantic natural philosophy (Schelling, Oken) |
| 1806 | Plan for the publication of the morphological studies Wednesday lectures |
| 1807–08 | Geological studies |
| 1810 | »Farbenlehre« (“Theory of colors”) published |
| 1816 | Resumption of morphological work |
| 1817–24 | Booklets »Zur Naturwissenschaft überhaupt« (“On Natural Science in General”) and »Zur Morphologie« (“On Morphology”) published Start of meteorological records |
| 1824–29 | Individual essays on color theory, botany, geology, meteorology |
| 1830–31 | Essay on the Paris Academy debate on the animal “type” |
| 1832 | died in Weimar |