Goethe's scientific curriculum vitae
An overview
Davidia involucrata (pigeon tree) in the Jena Botanical Garden
| Time-table | |
|
1749 |
Born in Frankfurt am Main |
| 1765–68 |
Law studies in Leipzig; readings in the natural sciences and discussions (Linné, Buffon, Haller) |
| 1769 | Frankfurt: alchemical readings and experiments (Paracelsus and others) |
| 1770–71 |
Law studies in Strasbourg; attended lectures in chemistry, anatomy, surgery |
| 1774–75 |
Collaboration on Lavater's »Essays on Physiognomy« (»Physiognomische Fragmente«) |
| 1776 | Civil servant in Weimar; studies in mining. Mineralogy |
| 1779–80 |
Second trip to Switzerland; geological inquiries (Buffon, de Saussure) |
| 1781–82 | Studies in anatomy for drawing lessons (Loder) |
| 1784 | Discovery of the intermaxillary bone in humans |
| 1785–86 | Botanical and microscopic studies |
| 1787 | Search for the »archetypal plant« (»Urpflanze«) |
| 1789/90 |
»An Attempt to Explain the Metamorphosis of Plants« (»Versuch die Metamorphose der Pflanzen zu erklären«) |
| 1790–95 | Type and metamorphosis developed in the animal kingdom Project of a morphology Color theory started with two »Contributions to Optics« (»Beiträge zur Optik«) |
| 1796 | Plant growth and insect metamorphosis observed |
| 1797 |
Third trip to Switzerland; geological observations |
| 1806 | Plan for the publication of the morphological studies Lectures as part of the »Wednesday Society« (»Mittwochsgesellschaft«) |
| 1807–08 |
Studies in geology |
| 1810 |
»Theory of Colors« (»Farbenlehre«) published |
| 1816 | Resumption of morphological work |
| 1817–24 | Booklets »On Natural Science in General, On Morphology in Particular« (»Zur Naturwissenschaft überhaupt, zur Morphologie insbesondere«) published Start of meteorological records |
| 1824–29 | Individual essays on color theory, botany, geology, meteorology |
| 1830–31 | Essay on the Paris Academy debate about the animal »type« |
| 1832 | Died in Weimar |