Wiedemann, Christian Rudolph Wilhelm

Christian Wiedemann was born in Braunschweig, Germany, in 1770. He obtained a medical degree in Jena, Germany, in 1792, and beginning in 1805 obtained a series of positions at the University of Kiel. His medical publications included books on anatomy, resuscitation of asphyxiated and drowned persons, and midwifery. In addition to his medical work, Wiedemann became very interested in Diptera. From 1800 to 1806 he edited the “Archiv für Zoologie und Zootomie,” and from 1817 to 1825 the “Zoologisches Magazin.” About this time he began a thorough study of exotic Diptera in several collections, including a redescription of Fabricius' flies, which was published in both Latin and German. Wiedemann also published an “Analecta Entomologica,” with new descriptions, and then the “Aussereuropäische zweiflügelige Inseckten.” He had access to rich collections from throughout South America and the West Indies, and named many new species. He died in 1849 at Kiel, Germany.