Scheuchzer supported scientist John Woodward's idea that Fossils originated from the Great Flood. He made Woodward's theory well known by translating one of Woodward's essays into Latin. Johann also researched fossils and came to the conclusion that the Flood had changed the Earth's crust into a gel like material. This then hardened and trapped fish and other organisms.
Scheuchzer was also an important leader of the diluvialism movement. Supporters of this movement received the Bible as a factual book and claimed that human fossils were from lives lost during the Flood.
Overall Scheuchzer was well received by the general public even though some of his discoveries were controversial and later found to be incorrect. In 1811, Georges Cuvier concluded that what Scheuchzer once thought was a human skeleton, was actually the skeleton of a huge salamander. Although Scheuchzer was wrong, he was still very much respected for his innovative ideas, and Cuvier named the fossil "Andrias scheuchzeri" to honor Scheuchzer.
Johann Scheuchzer had a huge impact on discoveries made today. Although he wasn't accurate in all of his conclusions, he was a pioneer in fossil research and the correlation between fossils and living organisms.
Works Cited
Cohn, Norman. "Noah's Flood the Genesis Story in Western Thought." 21 Oct. 2007
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"Diluvialism." Answers.Com. 2007. 21 Oct. 2007
Waggoner, Ben. "Medieval and Renaissance Concepts of Evolution and Paleontology."
UC Berkeley. 21 Oct. 2007
1 comment:
Scheuchzer is mentioned in "Two Rivers" on pages 152 and 154. Barrett writes about his research and even mentions Cuvier. She basically gives an overview of everything Scheuchzer is known for. Also, the Great Flood and the origins of fossils are discussed between Caleb and Samuel on pages 128 and 129 in "Two Rivers". Their discussion brings up the conflict between "new" and "old" science once again.
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