Legitimising Latin.
I
n scientific circles, Carl Linnaeus is something of a
rock star. Like ‘Flea’, ‘Pink’, ‘Bono’ and ‘Prince’ he
is widely referred to simply as Linnaeus, and many
students of the biological sciences would be hard-pressed
to recall his Christian name (which is perhaps ironic con-
sidering his main contribution to science). Furthermore,
this is abbreviated when used to indicate his allocation of
botanical species names; becoming merely ‘L.’ Although
he died in the late 18 th century, Linnaeus’ influence
remains powerful due to a system of nomenclature which
has stayed at the top of the charts for 250 years, and is
universally used for every living thing, both extant and
extinct.
Linnaeus was born in a village in southern Sweden in
1707, the son of a curate who had a keen interest in
botany. So much so that Nils Linnaeus chose a lime tree
or linden as the basis for his permanent surname. Young
Carl also demonstrated a passion for plants and often
deserted his studies to search for specimens. He became
something of a protégé for a number of teachers and
academics, which was advantageous considering the
family’s financial position.
In 1727, he embarked upon medical studies at Lund
University, later transferring to Uppsala University where
he lecturing on botany, despite being a student himself. In
1732, he received a grant for an
expedition to Lapland, where he
identified around 100 new species of
plants. At that time, medical students
in Sweden were required to complete
their studies abroad, and so in 1735,
Linnaeus set out for the Netherlands,
accompanied by another student
whose father had become his latest
benefactor. At the University of
Herderwijk, a degree in medicine was
conferred upon Linnaeus in less than
two weeks, thanks largely to a thesis
on malaria he had prepared before-
hand. However, it was Linnaeus’
botanical manuscripts that impressed
the scientific community, and the first
edition of Systema Naturae was
published shortly thereafter. Despite
Left: Linnaeus; an engraving by C. E.
Wagstaff published in The Gallery of
Portraits With Memoirs encyclopedia,
1833. Image by Georgios Kollidas.
Top right: dressed as a Laplander on
returning from his expedition.
Linnaeus is holding a Twinflower and
an ethnic sami drum. Engraving by H.
Kingsbury based upon a portrait by
Martin Hoffman in 1737.
Right: the Twinflower, Linnaea
borealis, Linnaeus’ favourite flower,
which he included as the crest on his
coat of arms. Image by Viktor Loki.