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Gustav Eisen
Gustav Eisen
Born	August 2, 1847; Stockholm, Sweden
Died	1940
Alma mater	University of Uppsala
Known for	Studies of worms; Cultivation of raisins and figs
	Scientific career
Fields	Zoology Horticulture
Institutions	California Academy of Sciences

Gustavus Augustus Eisen (August 2, 1847 − October 29, 1940) was a Swedish-American polymath. He became a member of California Academy of Sciences in 1874 and a Life Member in 1883. In 1893, he became the 'Curator of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Lower Animals' at the academy. He later changed titles to 'Curator of Marine Invertebrates'. In 1938, he was appointed as an 'Honorary Member', which is considered the highest honor from the academy.^[1]

Biography

Eisen was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 2, 1847. He attended school at Visby and later graduated from the University of Uppsala in 1873. He came to California that same year to participate in a biotic survey sponsored by the Swedish Academy of Sciences. He decided to make California his home and joined the California Academy of Sciences the following year.^[2]

He was known to have diverse interests, including "art and art history, archeology and anthropology, agronomy and horticulture, history of science, geography and cartography, cytology, and protozoology, as well as marine invertebrate zoology" ^[1]

A 2012 article in the San Francisco Chronicle describes him as, "One of those 19th century polymaths, Eisen also studied malaria-vector mosquitoes, founded a vineyard in Fresno, introduced avocados and Smyrna figs to California, campaigned to save the giant sequoias, and wrote a multivolume book about the Holy Grail." ^[3]

He is perhaps best known for his studies of oligochete worms and many species were named after him including those in the genus Eisenia. In addition, he is considered to have been responsible for the introduction of the avocado and the smyrna fig to California and he wrote a detailed history of figs.^[4]

He was a correspondent of Charles Darwin and his work was referenced twice by Darwin in The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms.^[5]

Mt. Eisen, in the Sierra Nevada in California, was named after him.^[6]

World renown

Eisen's opinions were sought on the practicalities of new horticulture crops in Australia. His advice was valued in fig cultivation^[7] and in processing grapes into raisins.^[8]

Organisms named after him

Earthworms

Brown algae

Vascular Plants

Phacelia eisenii Brandegee
Bacopa eisenii (Kellogg) Pennell
Clarkia eiseniana Kellog
Ranunculus eiseni Kellog

Mosquitoes

Anopheles eiseni Coquillett

Ant

Atzeca foreleg eiseni Pergande

Hymenoptera

Grasshopper

Brachystola eiseni Bruner

Copepods

Diaptomus eiseni Liljeborg

Zygoptera

Enallagma eiseni Calvert

Tipulidae

Erioptera eiseni Alexander

Diptera

Hermetia eiseni Townsend
Zophina eiseni Townsend

Spider

Linyphia eiseni Banks
Pardosa eiseni Thorell

Snake

Tantilla eiseni Stejneger

Fish

Xenotoca eiseni Rutter

Publications

Eisen, G.A. 1888. On the anatomy of Sutroa rostrata, a new annelid of the sub-family Lumbriculina. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 2(1):1–9.
Eisen, G.A. 1890. The raisin industry. A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing. Available online at https://archive.org/details/raisinindustrypr00eise.
Eisen, G.A. 1893. Anatomical studies on new species of Ocnerodrilus. Proceedings of the California Academy
of Sciences, ser. 2, 3:228–290.
Eisen, G.A. 1894. On California Eudrilidae. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 2(3):21–62.
Eisen, G.A. 1895. Pacific Coast Oligochaeta I. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 2(4):63–122.
Eisen, G.A. 1896. Pacific Coast Oligochaeta II. Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 2(5):123–200.
Eisen, G.A. 1897. Plasmocytes; the survival of the centrosomes and archoplasm of the nucleated erythrocytes, as free and independent elements in the blood of Batrachoseps attenuatus Esch. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 3, Zoology, 1(1):1–72.
Eisen, G.A. 1897. Explorations in the Cape Region of Baja California. Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York, Vol. 29, No. 3 (1897), pp. 271–280.
Eisen, G.A. 1899. Notes on North-American earthworms of the genus Diplocardia. Zoological Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 4, Feb., 1899 . https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1535422
Eisen, G.A. 1900. Researches in American Oligochaeta, with especial reference to those of the Pacific coast and adjacent islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 3, Zoology, 2(2):85–276.
Eisen, G.A. 1900. Explorations in the Cape Region of Baja California. Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/197262
Eisen, G.A. 1900. The Spermatogenesis of Batrachoseps. Polymorphous spermatogonia, auxocytes, and spermatocytes. Journal of Morphology. DOI: 10.1002/jmor.1050170102.
Eisen, G. A. 1901. The fig: its history, culture, and curing, with a descriptive catalogue of the known varieties of figs. Available online here: https://archive.org/details/figitshistorycul00eise.
Eisen, G.A. 1903. The earthquake and volcanic eruption in Guatemala in 1902. Bulletin of the American Geographical Society. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/197952.

References

^ ^a ^b Williams, Gary C. (2007). "History of Invertebrate Zoology at the California Academy of Sciences". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 58 (12): 197–239.
^ Radcliffe, Jane; Fidler, Christina V. "Gustavus Augustus (Gustav) Eisen (1847-1940)" (PDF). Illinois Natural History Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
^ Joe Eaton; Ron Sullivan (March 18, 2012). "Native worms outnumbered by worldly brethren". San Francisco Chronicle.
^ Eisen, G. A. 1901. The fig: its history, culture, and curing, with a descriptive catalogue of the known varieties of figs.
^ The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms: by Charles Darwin, pages 9 and 110.
^ Ann-Lisa Måneskjöld-Lower. "Mount Eisen," Sequoia National Park, California: Final resting place of Dr. Gustavus Augustus Eisen
^ "THE CALIMYRNA FIG". The Mildura Cultivator (Vic. : 1888 - 1920). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 14 March 1903. p. 4. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
^ "HOW THE GRAPES ARE DIPPED IN DENIA". The Mildura Cultivator (Vic. : 1888 - 1920). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 8 December 1894. p. 9 Edition: TWELVE-PAGE EDITION. Retrieved 11 April 2012.