BOTANY IN GREECE DURING THE 19th CENTURY: A PERIPHERY AT THE CENTER

The science of botany is exemplified as a blueprint of the approach of scientific knowledge in Greece during the nineteenth century, a period in which the Greek flora is of particular interest to European researchers in the framework of general scientific missions or specific visits. In the time before the Greek Independence (1834) it seems that botanology established itself a pseudoscience and the importance of herbs in practical medicine is reflected in almost all medical books of this era. At that time some books, either original or translations, related to the history and methodology of botany were published. The foundation of the University recruited either by foreigners or by Greek scientists, served as a starting point for the diversification of research. The succession of the first German professors of botany and the silent underrating of the Greek scholars who were active during the period known as Neohellenic Enlightenment (1750-1821) are discussed. This part of the paper deals with the contribution of C. Fraas and X. Landerer to botany as a scientific discipline in the University of Athens. Another subject under investigation is the fact that despite the difficulty in publishing specialized journals in Greek, relevant themes were published in the Parnassos Journal, one of the most important Greek encyclopedic periodicals of the nineteenth century. The development of botany is based on two persons, Prof. Th. Orphanidis - who essentially contributed to the enrichment of the Natural History Museum of the University and also to the development of relations with foreign academic centers, and Th. von Heldreich - curator of the botanical collections of the Natural History Museum. Their contribution, achievements and the long-term conflict between them are examined.