GESNER 31 



varieties from species, and demanded proof of constancy 

 in the characters before he would allow that they were 

 of specific value. 



We are told that Gesner had brought together no 

 fewer than fifteen hundred figures, many of them drawn 

 by his own skilful hand, while nearly four hundred had 

 been engraved on wood. The drawings and wood-blocks 

 were handed down after his death from one botanist or 

 publisher to another. Some were used to illustrate 

 Mattioli's Epitome (1586). At last the collection, sadly 

 diminished, was bought by Christopher Jacob Trew, an 

 eminent physician of Nuremburg, who valued good 

 books of natural history. Trew entrusted the thousand 

 figures which came into his hands to the careful editor- 

 ship of C. C. Schmiedel. Many of Gesner s drawings 

 were now engraved on copper and coloured after the 

 originals ; some of the woodcuts were printed ofi", while 

 others, which had sufi'ered injury, were re-engraved on 

 copper. Two great folios, which include the botanical 

 works published in Gesner's life-time, were thus pro- 

 duced, which give the best notion now to be had of 

 Gesner's industry and skill as a botanist. In these 

 interesting and often beautiful figures we find details of 

 flowers and fruits never so well presented before. It is 

 a question whether he used lenses or not ; sharp sight 

 may perhaps have sufficed. Gesner was so short-sighted 

 as to require concave spectacles for the perception of 

 distant objects. Like another short-sighted naturalist 

 (K. E. von Baer), who was remarkable for his power 

 of distinguishing the minute details of living things, 

 Gesner may have turned the imperfections of his eyes 

 to good account. 



The pleasing usage of naming the genera of plants 

 after meritorious botanists was introduced by Gesner. 



