Hieronymus Bock as depicted in his Herbal

Hieronymus Bock , also seen as "Boch", (1498 - February 21, 1554) also known under his latinised name Hieronymus Tragus, was a German botanist, physician, and Lutheran minister who began the transition from medieval botany to the modern scientific worldview by arranging plants by their relation or resemblance. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther His 1546 Kreuterbuch or "herbal" was illustrated by the artist David Kandel. A herbal is a book often illustrated that describes the appearance Medicinal properties, and other characteristics of Plants used in Herbal medicine. David Kandel (1520 - 1592 was a typical Renaissance artist And like we all know one of the best qualities of the Renaissance Period was its everlasting concerning In the wine world, Bock is noted for having the first documented use of the modern word Riesling in 1552 when it was mentioned in his Latin herbal. Riesling is a white Grape variety which originates in the Rhine region of Germany. ^[1]

The details of his life are sketchy, in particular his educational background is unknown. In 1519 he inscribed at the university of Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area He married an Eva Victor in 1523, and was caretaker of the grounds of the count palatinate in Zweibrücken for nine years, which is possibly the origin of his botanical interest. Zweibrücken is a City in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach river at the border of the Palatinate forest. In 1532 he became the prince's physician and received a life-time position as a lutheran minister in a nearby village where he stayed up to his death in 1554.

The first edition of his Kreuterbuch (literally "plant book") appeared in 1539 unillustrated; his stated objectives were to describe German plants, including their names, characteristics, and medical uses. Instead of following Dioscorides as was traditional, he developed his own system to classify 700 plants. Pedanius Dioscorides (Πεδάνιος Διοσκορίδης ca Bock apparently traveled widely through the German region observing the plants for himself, since he includes ecological and distributional observations.

The grass genus Tragus and spurge genus Tragia are both named after him. Tragus, commonly called burr grass or carrot-seed grass, is a Genus in the grass family Poaceae. Tragia is a Genus of Plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. It comprises about one hundred species found in Tropical and

Footnotes

1. ^ Oz Clarke The Encyclopedia of Grapes Websters International Publishers 2001, pg 192 ISBN 0-15-100714-4
2. ^ Brummitt, R. K. ; C. E. Powell (1992). Authors of Plant Names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive Gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and ISBN 1-84246-085-4.  

References

• Duane Isely, One hundred and one botanists (Iowa State University Press, 1994), pp. 23-25

External links

• Hieronymus Bock info from the Hauck Botanical online exhibit