Heinrich Göppert

Johann Heinrich Robert Göppert (25 July 1800 – 18 May 1884) was a German botanist and paleontologist. He was born in Sprottau, Lower Silesia, and died at Breslau. In 1831 he became a professor of botany, as well as curator of the botanical gardens in Breslau. In 1852 he became director of the botanical gardens. He is particularly known for his work in paleobotany, being the author of many articles in this field. Göppert performed extensive research on the formation of coal and amber, and also conducted comparison studies between existing and fossil flora. In 1840, he demonstrated existence of plant cells in microscopic preparations of hard coal, which concluded a long-lasting debate on the origin of coal. His private collection of specimens of fossil flora was considered the finest in the world. He was the father of a notable lawyer, Heinrich Robert Göppert, grandfather of Friedrich Göppert and great-grandfather of Maria Goeppert-Mayer (Nobel Prize in physics, 1963). In 1861 he became foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1862, he was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society. Göppert was a critic of Darwinism. In 1864 and 1865 he published papers criticising Charles Darwin's theory of common descent from research in botanical palaeontology. Die fossilen Farnkräuter (On fossil ferns) - (1836). De floribus in statu fossili (1837). De coniferarum structura anatomica (Anatomical structure of conifers) - (1841). Die Gattungen der fossilen Pflanzen, verglichen mit denen der Jetztzeit (Types of the fossil plants, and comparison to those of the present) - (1841–42). Ueber die chemischen Gegengifte, zum Gebrauche für Ärzte, Wundärzte und Pharmaceuten, so wie für academische Vorlesungen : mit 1 Tab. . Max, Berlin 2. Ausg. 1843 Digital edition by the University and State Library Düsseldorf. Der Bernstein und die in ihm befindlichen Pflanzenreste der Vorwelt (with Georg Karl Berendt, 1845). Abhandlungen über die Entstehung der Steinkohlenlager aus Pflanzen (1848).