Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers

Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers (August 15, 1775 - May 21, 1852) was an Austrian naturalist who was a native of Pressburg (Bratislava). He earned his medical doctorate from Vienna in 1798, but also studied botany, mineralogy and zoology at the university. For a brief period of time he assisted his uncle Joseph Ludwig von Schreibers with his medical practice in Vienna. He also toured museums throughout Europe, and in 1802 was an assistant of natural history and agricultural sciences at the University of Vienna. In 1806 he was appointed Director of the Viennese Natural History Collections (Naturalienkabinette), which became his life's work.

Additional recommended knowledge

Weighing the right way

Correct Test Weight Handling Guide: 12 Practical Tips

Don't let static charges disrupt your weighing accuracy

Schreibers was involved with all aspects of natural sciences, and he embarked upon total organizational overhaul of the museum's natural history collections. During his time as director, the size of the museum's library grew from a few scientific books to a collection of over 30,000 volumes. Here, he also stored the results of his personal research work, as well as a collection of meteorites, which was Schreibers' main interest of study. On October 31, 1848 most of the museum was destroyed by fire during the course of bombardment of Viennese revolutionaries by the Austrian Imperial Army. Schreibers was devastated by the loss, and retired soon afterwards. However, his collection of meteorites was saved from destruction.

In 1847, an uncommon iron-nickel-phosphide ((Fe,Ni)3P) mineral was named in his honor by Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger (1775-1871). This mineral is found in meteorites, and is known today as schreibersite. Schreibers was also the first scientist to perform a comprehensive anatomical study of the olm, a cave-dwelling, aquatic amphibian.