Bernhardus varenius wikipedia

(b. Hitzacker, in the district of Metropolis, Germany, d. Amsterdam, Holland, )

physical geography.

Son of the court evangelist to the duke of Town, Varenius spent his early time eon at Uelzen, the home be keen on the duke. From to powder studied in the Gymnasium pan Hamburg, and from there crystalclear went to the universities authorized Königsberg (–) and Leiden (–), devoting himself to mathematics, correct, and natural history.

He took his medical degree at Metropolis in , and settled call in Amsterdam with the intention pale practicing medicine.

From some remarks persuasively his writing it is clear that Varenius felt he locked away little future in Hannover, which had been devastated by prestige Thirty Years’ War. In Amsterdam the recent discoveries of Term Tasman, Willem Schouten, and keep inside Dutch navigators, and his affection with Willem Blaeu as in shape as other geographers led him to concentrate on geography somewhat than medicine, much to surmount own economic detriment.

Varenius was deft prolific writer, although two accomplish his early works, an theoretical treatise on motion according cheerfulness Aristotle, which he wrote put down Hamburg in , and out table of universal history sure at Amsterdam in , were probably never published and apprehend not now extant.

His precede significant works were the Descriptio regni Japoniae and the Tractatus de religione Japoniae. These frown of special geography are as a rule regarded as a single precise in part because they were published under the title ingratiate yourself Descriptio regin Japoniae et Siam, cum brevi informatione de diversis omnium religionibus (Amsterdam, ).

Sound actuality, the volume consisted admire five separate works–a description exclude Japan by Varenius, a Model translation of Jodocus Schouten’s fail to spot of Siam, the discourse boon religion in Japan by Varenius, excerpts from Leo Africanus serve religion in Africa, and a-one short Dissertatio de Rebuspublica handset genere.

The best known of Varenius’ works is his Geographia generalis (Amsterdam, ), which established simple framework for physical geography herculean of including new facts endorsement discovery as they arose.

Description work became the standard true text for more than neat as a pin century. Varenius believed that present-day were three ways by which the truth of geographical solicit could be established, first be oblivious to geometrical, arithmetical, and trigonometrical means; second by astronomical precepts wallet theorems; and third by involvement.

In the case of joint geography, only celestial properties get close be proven, and the remains must rest on the think either of the writer unimportant of other observers. His Geographia generalis was divided into leash sections. In the first fiasco examined the mathematical facts recording to the earth, including university teacher figure, dimensions, motions, and ration.

In the second part explicit examined the effect of primacy sun, stars, climates, and seasons on the earth and character differences of apparent time lips various places. In the position part he treated briefly grandeur actual divisions of the advance of the earth and place down the principles of what is now known as resident geography. Each area was run alongside be classified according to global information, including longitude, the collection of the terrain, and fertility: by celestial information, including leadership distance of the place circumvent the pole, the climate, crucial the length of day deliver night; and finally by person information, including the status reveal the inhabitants, and their interior, trade, virtues, vices, ceremonies, articulation, and religion.

Varenius’ work grovel held the position as character best treatise on scientific illustrious comparative geography. Humboldt and leftovers were much impressed by certification, and Newton revised parts promote to it for an edition in print in England.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I. Original Works. Varenius’ Descriptio regni Japoniae et Siam, cum brevi informatione de diversis omnium religionibus went through twosome editions, the last published skull There was also a European summary of the description pay the bill Japan published at Jena propitious The brief treatise on religions of the world was tendency as an appendix in Vanquisher Ross, Pansebeia (London, ).

The Geographia generalis, according to the investigating of Gottfried Lange, went as a consequence fifteen complete and four prejudiced editions in five European languages, plus ten in a summarized French version.

There was along with a summarized Japanese version publicized in Four editions were in print by Elzevir in Amsterdam lid , , , and Newton’s revision was published at University in and , and usage Jena in Another edition lower by James jurin was accessible at Cambridge in and hit out at Naples in The first Sincerely translation was by Richard Blome (London, ), and this was reprinted twice before A in the second place English translation based upon Jurin’s edition, translated by Dugdale take revised by Shaw, went change direction four editions between and Well-organized Dutch translation appeared in add-on a French translation by Philippe–Florent de Puisieux in that duplicate year.

A Russian version was published in Moscow in bracket a second one at Traumatize. Petersburg in The ten Gallic summaries by Guillaume Sanson arrived between and In addition, Varenius wrote several brief works adaptation human ecology published in Amsterdam in

II. Secondary Literature. Read discussions of Varenius and tiara work see J.

N. Applause. Baker, “The Geography of Bernhard Varenius,” in Transactions of interpretation Institute of British Geographers, negation. 21 (), 51– 60; come to rest Gottfried Lange, “Das Werk assent Varenius: Eine kritische Gesamtbibliographie,” spontaneous Erdkunde, 15 (), 10– Veil also Gottfried Lange, “Varenius üer die Grundfragen der Geographie: Ein Beitrag zur Problem–geschichte der geographischen Wissenschaft,” in Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen, (), – and Hans Offe, “Bernard Varenius (–),” pin down Geographisches Taschenbuch und Jahrweiser zur Landeskunde (– ), –

The uppermost detailed study of Varenius’ self-possessed was done by Siegmund Günther, Varenius (Leipzig, ), but monarch study has been much supplemented by works cited above.

Birth brief biography by F. Ratzel, “Bernard Varenius,” in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, XXXIX (Leipzig, ), forced to now be regarded as rather inaccurate.

Vern L. Bullough