PUPILS : C. P. THUNBERG 
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enter the Dutch Company’s service as surgeon. He 
first travelled to the Cape of Good Hope, spending 
1772 to 1775 in research on its flora and fauna, 
discovering three hundred new species. After this 
he voyaged to Japan, touching at Java on his way. 
Returning at the end of 1776 with a second stay in 
Java, he gave seven months to Ceylon, thence to 
Holland, where he was offered a professor’s chair at 
Leyden, and by England and Germany back to his 
native land. He kept up correspondence all the time 
with Linne, and supplied him with so many plants that 
his old teacher admitted he had never benefited so 
much from any other traveller. Before he died in 
1828, he had occupied the chair of botany at Uppsala 
forty-five years, in succession to the younger Linne. 
Thunberg had a worthy competitor in Anders 
Sparrman. When only seventeen, he in 1765 had 
served as ship’s surgeon on a voyage to China under 
C. G. Ekeberg. He embarked again in 1772 for the 
Cape, and pushed his enquiries vigorously. At the 
close of that year, Captain James Cook, on his 
second voyage round the world, on board the Resolu¬ 
tion ,, touched at the Cape. He was invited to 
accompany the Forsters, father and son, and went 
with them to New Zealand. Returning to the Cape 
after sailing six thousand nautical miles, he renewed 
his quest after Cape plants for eight months longer. 
He was back in Sweden in 1776, but was quite worn 
out with his labours. Nevertheless, he ventured 
again in 1787 to Africa, became Professor of Natural 
History in Stockholm in 1790 and Assessor to the 
Medical College in 1803, dying in 1820. 
Joran Rothman, son of Johan S. Rothman, Linne’s 
benefactor at Vaxjo, after taking his degree of M.D. 
at Uppsala, failed as a physician in Stockholm, but 
was selected by the Academy out of three applicants, 
to investigate Barbary, starting in 1773. The result 
justified Linne’s fears; the promises of the native 
envoy were not fulfilled, and the money ran short, but 
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