Note on the Natural Historians

Carl Linnaeus (1707–78) scores a much larger number of entries than any other naturalist because, being the first user of this system, he laid down the rules of the game. Linnaeus, who is often referred to by the French version of his name, Linne, or abbreviated as Linn. or simply L., has been irreverently described as ‘a queer old Swede who thought he could name everything’. He did indeed try to give a simple double-name in Latinized form to every animal and plant. The continued use of his system bespeaks its merit. Linnaeus was not himself particularly interested in fish, and most of his fish names were based on descriptions published by earlier naturalists, especially his fellow-Swede and friend from their days at Uppsala University, Peter Artedi (1705–35). Artedi had been obsessed with fishes from boyhood, and was a century ahead of his time in knowledge of their anatomy and in the accuracy of his descriptions. Unfortunately when still young he fell into a canal at Amsterdam and drowned.