August-Quirinus Rivinus German naturalist (botanist, anatomist, astronomer), Date of Birth: 09.12.1652 Country: Germany

Biography of Augustus Quirinus Rivinus

Augustus Quirinus Rivinus was a German naturalist, botanist, anatomist, and astronomer. He was born into the family of Andreas Rivinus (1601-1656), a professor of philosophy and medicine at Leipzig, who was also a scholar and poet. Rivinus studied medicine at Leipzig University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1670 and his master's degree in 1671. He furthered his education at the University of Helmstedt and later worked as a practicing physician in Leipzig.

In 1691, Rivinus became a professor of physiology and botany at Leipzig University. In 1701, he was appointed as a professor of pathology, and later as a professor of therapy. He also served as the director of the Leipzig University Botanical Garden.

Rivinus is best known for proposing a unique system of plant classification based on the structure of flowers. In his 1690 system, orders were divided into genera and species, following the teachings of Joachim Jung (1578-1657), who can be considered one of the pioneers of using binary nomenclature in biological systematics. Rivinus also described several minor sublingual ducts that independently open into the oral cavity, which are now known as Rivinian (or Bartholin's) ducts after him.

Apart from his botanical pursuits, Rivinus also had an interest in astronomy. In 1713, while observing sunspots, he severely damaged his eyes and nearly became blind. French botanist Charles Plumier named the genus Rivina (from the family Phytolaccaceae) in honor of Augustus Quirinus Rivinus in his work "Nova Plantarum Americanarum Genera" in 1703. Later, Carl Linnaeus used this name, and according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, the formal author of the genus name is Linnaeus, and the complete scientific name is recorded as Rivina L. (1753). Additionally, one species of violet, Viola riviniana Rchb. (1823), is named in honor of Rivinus.