Carl Linnaeus 1707 - 1778

occupation:: Naturalist, Taxonomist

Nationality:: Swedish

born in:: Råshult, Kronoberg, Småland, Sweden

Carolus Linnaeus, or Carl von Linné as he was later called, was born in Sweden and studied medicine at Uppsala. Linnaeus became a doctor, but most of his work focused on botany which in the 1700s was an important part of medical study, as doctors often prepared medicines from plants. Linnaeus developed a new system, or taxonomy, of naming plants and animals which, with some modifications, is still in use today. The aim of his system was to help biologists make sure that they were talking about the same plant or animal, when they could not see each other's specimens.

Like many scientists of the 1700s, Linnaeus was interested in making scientific knowledge useful for society. In 1732 he travelled on an expedition to Lapland to collect plants, animals and minerals. Later he became a professor at Uppsala University, and established a vast network of colleagues and students around the world to identify new plants and their medical uses.

Key dates:

1712 - at the age of 5, was given his own garden to manage

1717 - began school in Växjö

1727 - moved to Lund in order to study medicine

1728 - enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Uppsala

1731 - returned to live with his parents in Småland

1732 - journeyed alone to Lappland in order to replace botanical specimans destoyed by fire at the University of Uppsala

1733 - went to Falun in Dalarna in order to further his studies in mineralogy

1735 - travelled to the Netherlands and received his MD at the University of Hardevijk

1737 - Hortus Cliffortianus published

1741 - took up the a Professorship of Medicine in Uppsala when Lars Roberg retired

1744 - appointed to the position of secretary of the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences in Uppsala