| William Hillebrand | |
| Born | November 13, 1821 Nieheim, Westphalia, Germany |
|---|---|
| Died | July 13, 1886 (aged 64) Heidelburg, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields | Botany,Medicine |
William Hillebrand (November 13, 1821 - July 13, 1886)[1] was a renowned botanist. A German physician who came to Hawai'i in 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden.
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Life and career
Hillebrand came to Hawai'i for the mild and pleasant climate and to recover from tuberculosis.[2] He stayed for a little over 20 years and made significant contributions that endure to this day.
Appointed physician to the royal family at The Queen's Hospital (now The Queen's Medical Center), Hillebrand also served as chief physician at the hospital from 1860 to 1871.
Six years after his arrival, he and nine other Honolulu physicians petitioned to charter an organization called the Hawaiian Medical Society. Two months later, the petition was granted. Today, it is the Hawaii Medical Association.
In 1853, Hillebrand purchased 13 acres of land from Queen Kalama, just a short distance from where he worked. He had a keen interest in plants, and over the years, planted a number of exotic and native trees in his garden.
Hillebrand moved back to Germany in 1871. For nearly a decade he considered returning to Hawaii, but in 1880, when he determined that wouldn't happen, he sold his home to shipping entrepreneur Captain Thomas Foster and his wife, Mary, who lived on an adjacent lot.[3] Years later, Mary Foster bequeathed the land to the city, which opened it to the public as Foster Botanical Garden in 1930.
During his stay in Hawai'i, Hillebrand traveled to Asia and the East Indies on behalf of the Hawaiian government. He had three main goals: to find sources of labor for the sugar plantations, to learn about the latest treatments for leprosy, and to collect and import plants and animals that would be useful to the Islands. Hillebrand wrote an article on leprosy that was published in 1883. [4]
He is the father of William Francis Hillebrand (1853 – 1925), an American chemist.
Awards and honors
- Two plants, Veronica hillebrandii and Phebalium hillebrandii honour him.[1]
Publications
References
- ^ a b http://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/hillebrand-william.html
- ^ http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v17n2/v17n2-chock.htm accessed February 24, 2009
- ^ http://archives.starbulletin.com/2008/07/13/travel/tsutsumi.html accessed February 24, 2009
- ^ http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/May/06/il/il08a.html accessed February 24, 2009
- ^ http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/hbg/fbg.htm accessed February 24, 2009
- ^ Brummitt RK; Powell CE. (1992). Authors of Plant Names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. ISBN 1-84246-085-4.
Sources
- Hawaii's Pioneer Botanist: Dr. William Hillebrand, His Life & Letters by Ursula H. Meier (2005) ISBN 1581780478
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