Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology

128
Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology, Vol. 10 (2005)
Nicolas Robin & Frank Hellwig
Interestingly, Fr. S. Voigt published an article which can be regarded as an abstract of the
French textbook by J. H. Jaume Saint-Hilaire. However he did not translate the whole
analysis, omitting for example the interpretation of the distinction between the characteristics
of the monocotyledons and dicotyledons. He dealt with this question in his Darstellung
des natürlichen Pflanzensystems Jussieus (1806), where he wrote that the last order of the
monocotyledons is connected with the first class of the dicotyledons by the similiraties
in the shape of their leaves 56. To illustrate his article from 1805, he selected some relevant
figures 57 from Jaume Saint-Hilaire which were partly modified according to his own
observations (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). This first article gives evidence of the ability of
Fr. S. Voigt to evaluate recent botanical developments, even those published in foreign
languages.
3.1.2. The weighting of plant features and the reception of L. Cl. Richard
During his stay in Paris (1809-1810) Fr. S. Voigt met A.-L. de Jussieu, R. L. Desfontaines,
professors of botany at the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle and L. Cl. Richard
(1754-1821), professor of botany at the École de Medicine. This time in Paris between 1809
and the first months of 1810 was decisive for the rest of his career 58. A. N. Desvaux
wrote:
“M. Voigt, après avoir passé quelques mois à Paris, convint qu´il avait plus acquis sur la philosophie
de la science, que pendant plusieurs années qu´il avait passé à réfléchir sur l´ensemble de la
méthode naturelle.” 59
Fr. S. Voigt attended with interest the lectures and the pratical demonstrations of botany
provided by L. Cl. Richard. In 1811 Fr. S. Voigt published a translation of L.-Cl. Richard’s
Démonstrations botaniques, ou analyse du fruit considéré en général 60. This book pays special
attention to the consideration of the structure of the fruit, seed and also the radicle
after germination. L. Cl. Richard considered this organ to be the main distinction between
monocotyledons and dicotyledons, and that A.-L. de Jussieu’s “true” moncotyledons
did not have a “true” radicle. This was the basis of his new classification, which
appeared for the first time in German as a supplement of Voigt’s translation of L. Cl.
Richard’s textbook. This classification included two main groups (Exembryonatae and Em-
56 He specified his point of view in his Darstellung des natürlichen Pflanzensystems Jussieus: “Die Letzte Ordnung
der Monocotyledonen schliesst sich unter andern auch durch die Form ihrer Blätter an die erste Klasse der
Dicotyledonen an, welche nur aus wenigen Gattungen einer einzigen Familie besteht.” Voigt, Fr. S. 1806. Op.
cit. note 4: p. 21.
57 Fig. 1 (Fr. S. Voigt) = Fig. 5 tab. A. (J. H. Jaume Saint-Hilaire) Cotyledons and their orientation; Fig. 2
(V) = Fig. 29 tab. A (J) Oriza sativa, curve of the root due to the position of the seed during germination; Fig.
3 (V) = Fig. 32 tab. A. (J) Paspalum stoloniferum, origin of the lateral roots; Fig. 4 (V) = Fig. 2 tab. B (J) Cyperaceae
position of the root; Fig. 5 (V) = Fig. 4 tab. B (J) evolution of the husk of the seed; Fig. 7 (V) = Fig. 11
tab. B (J) Ephémérines, absence of the husk; Fig. 6 (V) = Fig. 10 tab. B Anthericum annuum, continuation of the
embryo; Fig. 8 (V) = Fig. 8 tab. B (J) rush of sap from the embryo to the vessel.
58 Fr. S. Voigt made a second important stay abroad, in London and Cambridge, during the year 1827.
59 Desvaux, A. N. 1813. Op. cit. note 21.
60 Voigt, Fr. S. 1811. Analyse der Frucht […]. Leipzig, C. H. Reklam, 1811.