Father of Biology

By : Neha Dhyani

Updated : Feb 18, 2022, 9:45

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, visited Lesvos in the 4th century BC, an Aegean island abounding with animals both then and now. His excitement with what he discovered there and his meticulous research into it resulted in the formation of a new science known as biology. Aristotle is thus known as one of the Fathers of Biology. 

Biology is one of the three primary fields of natural science. It is the science of living organisms such as animals, plants, fungi, microbes, etc. and their evolution.

Aristotle's Discoveries and Works

Rather than linking it to supernatural interference, Aristotle examined the natural world extensively and investigated its origins using scientific knowledge and rigorous observations. Temperatures, metabolism, inheritance, embryogenesis, and information processing are all outlined in Aristotle's biology theory. He was the first biologist to discover animal relationships and develop a classification system.

Thanks to medieval manuscripts built on a first-century BCE edition, Aristotle's corpus survived. Until the biological books were jointly translated into Arabic, there were no comments on them. The Latin translations of an Arabic version by Michael Scot, which forms the foundation of Albertus Magnus' De animalibus, are the earliest appearance of Aristotle's biological works in the West.

There are a number of shorter 'essays' on more specific topics in addition to the three volumes traditionally referred to it as History of Animals (HA), Parts of Animals (PA), and Generation of Animals (GA). These have information on animal motion, animal locomotion, respiration, life and death, youth and old age, life expectancy, sleeping and waking, etc.

Aristotle's methods matched that of modern scientists when they investigate a new region, including systematic data collecting, pattern finding, and deduction of probable interpretations from these.

He didn't conduct experiments in the contemporary sense; instead, he observed live creatures and dissected them. He recognizes around 500 bird, mammal, and fish species, as well as dozens of insects as well as other invertebrates. He dissected roughly 35 species and described the interior anatomy of above a hundred.

Branches of Biology and their Pioneers

Botany, Zoology, and several other areas are comprised in biology. The several branches of biology and its pioneers are discussed in the table below:

Branch and Pioneer

Pioneer's name

Father of Botany

Theophrastus

Father of Zoology

Aristotle

Father of Biology

Aristotle

Father of Modern Botany

Linnaeus

Father of Endocrinology

Thomas Addison

Father of Immunology

Edward Jenner

Father of Agronomy

Peter De-Crescenzi

Father of Genetics

GJ Mendel

Father of Modern Genetics

TH Morgan

Father of Cytology

Robert Hooke

Father of Palynology

Erdtman

Father of Mycology

Micheli

Father of Plant Physiology

Stephan Hales

Father of Gene Therapy

Anderson

Father of Polygenic Inheritance

Kohlreuter

Father of Surgery and Plastic Surgery

Susruta

Father of Anatomy

Herophilus

Father of Ethology

Konrad Lorenz

Father of Cloning

Ian Wilmut

Father of Chemotherapy

Paul Ehrlich

Father of Bryology

Johann Hedwig

Father of Mutation

Hugo De Vries

Father of Genetic Engineering

Paul Berg

Father of Ayurveda

Charak

Father of Taxonomy

Carolus Linnaeus

Father of Embryology

Aristotle

Father of Blood Circulation

William Harvey

Father of Medicine

Hippocrates

Father of Blood Groups

Karl Landsteiner

Father of Palaeontology

Leonardo da Vinci

Father of DNA Finger Printing

Garrod

Father of Gerontology

Korenchevsk

Father of Bacteriology

Robert Koch

Father of Antibiotics

Alexander Fleming

Father of Pathology

Rudolph Virchow

Father of Virology

WM Stanley

Father of Epidemiology

John Snow

Father of Endocrinology

Thomas Addison

Father of Homeopathy

Hahnemann

 

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FAQs About Father of Biology

  • Who is the father of Biology?

Aristotle is known as the Father of Biology. 

  • What is the name of the father of zoology?

Aristotle is known as the Father of Zoology.

  • Who is known as the father of Botany?

Theophrastus is known as the Father of Botany.