Josif Pančić

Josif Pančić

Josif Pančić

Josif Pančić
Born April 17, 1814
Ugrini, Austrian Empire (now Croatia)
Died February 25, 1888(1888-02-25) (aged 73)
Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia (now Serbia)
Residence Belgrade
Nationality Serbian
Other names Josip Pančić
Citizenship Austrian, Serbian
Alma mater University of Budapest
Known for discovery of Serbian Spruce

Josif Pančić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јосиф Панчић; April 17, 1814 – February 25, 1888) was a Serbian botanist, doctor, a famous lecturer at the Great School in Belgrade and the first president of the Serbian Royal Academy. He extensively documented the flora of Serbia, and is credited with having classified many species of plants which were unknown to the botanical community at that time. Pančić is credited for discovering the Serbian Spruce. He is regarded as the father of Serbian botany.[1]

Life

Early life and studies

Pančić was born in Ugrini, near Crikvenica, at the time part of the Austrian Empire (now Croatia), the fourth son of Pavel Pančić and Margarita. The Pančić family were Bunjevac in origin.[2] According to tradition, the Pančić family hailed from Herzegovina and settled in Ugrini in olden times.[3]

After finishing elementary school in Gospić, he went on to the lyceum in Rijeka, and then continued classes in the Regia Academica Scientiarum in Zagreb (1830). He graduated in 1842 in Budapest in medicine. In addition to other courses, Pančić attended botany courses, taught by the then renowned botany professor, Joseph Sadler (Sadler József).[4] Later, recalling those early lectures, he wrote:[1]

“And since the first course in botany I started to love botany and decided to become a botanist..."

Work

Pančić monument Crikvenica, Croatia
Information board to Pancic and his spruce tree at the site it was discovered.
Josif Pancic, a monument in the Academic park on the Student Square in Belgrade
Mausoleum of Josif Pančić on Pančić's Peak

He was acquainted with the Serbian linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić in Vienna who wrote him a letter of recommendation to the Serbian authorities in order to fulfill his wish to settle in the Principality of Serbia and to study its nature. In May 1846 he arrived in Serbia, and worked as a physician in rural Serbia. In 1853, he moved from Kragujevac to Belgrade when he was appointed professor of the Belgrade Lyceum (Royal Serbian Lyceum). In 1853, he introduced Mineralogy with geology at the Lyceum.[5]

He extensively documented the flora of Serbia, and is credited with having classified many species of plants which were unknown to the botanical community at that time. His most significant discovery was the Serbian Spruce, which he had discovered near Zaovine on the Tara Mountain in 1875. During the Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–78), he was the Chief Physician of the Belgrade Hospital.

He is said to have "fell in love" with Kopaonik, which he visited 16 times between 1851 and 1886. Pančić was named the first president of the Serbian Royal Academy formed on April 5, 1887. He requested opening of the Botanical garden "Jevremovac" in Belgrade.

Pančić died on February 25, 1888 in Belgrade while working. A mausoleum of Josif Pančić on Kopaonik was erected in 1951 by the Academy, the University of Belgrade and the Hikers union, with the inscription:

Honoring Pančić's request, we moved him here to rest forever. We also announce his message for the Serbian youth: "Only with a thorough understanding and analysis of the nature of our country will they show how much they love and honour their homeland".

Selected works

Legacy

Pančić portrait on 10 Yugoslav dinars note, 1994

A research society has been named after him, Josif Pančić Biological Research Society (Biološko istraživačko društvo "Josif Pančić"). He was depicted on the 10 dinara note printed in 1994. He is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs. In 1951 the highest point in the Kopaonik mountain range was changed from Milan Peak to Pančić's Peak.

Awards

Annotations

His name is mostly written as Serbian Josif Pančić (Јосиф Панчић), and also rendered Croatian Josip Pančić (Јосип Панчић).

References

  1. 1 2 Vasić, Olja. "Josif Pančić and the new Fora of Serbia" (PDF). Flora Mediterranea. 23: 209–214. ISSN 2240-4538. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Jovan Erdeljanović (1930). O poreklu Bunjevaca. Srpska Kraljevska Akademija. p. 146. Панчићи, Паншни у Суботици, од 1686 год. (Оашса 1891 24; види и 5гађ. II Окт. 37, Иеуеп 1896 83, 123); кат. Панчићи у Хрватском Приморју (М. Милићевић: Поменик зна- менитих људи, Београд 1888, с. 497; Јегеппс 161) и прав. у ...; "Буњевачка презимена: Обрадов(ић) – Паштровић". Poreklo. ПАНЧИЋИ / ПАНЧИНИ – у Суботици, од 1686.год.; католици Панчићи у Хрватском Приморју и православни у Славонији.
  3. ↑ Josif Pančić; Budislav Tatič; Božidar P. M. Ćurčić (1998). Sabrana dela Josifa Pančića: Život i delo Josifa Pančića. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva. p. 13. Проф. др Љубиша М. Глишић ЖИВОТ И РАД ВЕЛИКОГ НАУЧНИКА И РОДОЉУБА др ЈОСИФА ПАНЧИЋА Према предању, Панчићи су пореклом из Xерцеговине и од давнина су се доселили у село Угрине, које се налази на ...
  4. ↑ Stevanovic et al. 1999.
  5. ↑ Miomir Komatina (31 March 2004). Medical Geology: Effects of Geological Environments on Human Health. Elsevier. pp. 359–. ISBN 978-0-08-053609-5.
  6. ↑ IPNI.  Pančić.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josif Pančić.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.