Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 7 February [O.S. 19 February] 1844 |
| Died | 31 August/15 September 1873 (aged 29) |
| Alma mater | Moscow University |
| Known for | Exploration ofTurkestan |
| Spouse | Olga Armfeldt (18??-1873; his death) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biology, geography, exploration |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | A.Fedtsch. |
Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko (Russian:Алексей Павлович Федченко; 7 February [O.S. 19 February] 1844 – 31 August/15 September 1873), orFedtschenko, was a Russiannaturalist andexplorer well known for his travels incentral Asia. Alternative transliterations of his name, used in languages such as German, includeAleksei Pavlovich Fedtschenko andAlexei Pawlowitsch Fedtschenko.
Fedchenko was born atIrkutsk, inSiberia, and after attending thegymnasium of his native town, proceeded to theUniversity of Moscow, to studyzoology andgeology.[1]
He marriedOlga Armfeldt, a botanist.[2] In 1868, they travelled throughTurkestan,Samarkand,Panjakent, and the upperZarafshan River valley. In 1870, they explored the Fan Mountains south of the Zarafshan. In 1871, they reached theAlay Valley atDaroot-Korgan and saw the northernPamir Mountains but were unable to penetrate southward.[citation needed]
He also collected significant numbers of insects from three explorations from 1869 to 1873. These were then studied byFerdinand Morawitz inSt Petersburg. He recorded 438 species belonging to 36 genera from Central Asia, 68 species ofAndrena, 17 species from Europe, and 51 new species.[3]
Soon after their return to Europe, he perished onMont Blanc while engaged in a tour inFrance.[4] He had been trying to look at glaciers in France to see how they compared with those in Turkestan. He was 29 years old. His widow had him buried inChamonix.[5]
After he died, his widow published his investigations and work, before she started re-exploring. She later worked with their son,Boris, but Olga remained an important botanist in her own right.[6]
Alexei Fedchenko discovered the life cycle ofDracunculus which causesDracunculiasis, more commonly known as Guinea worm disease (GWD). Accounts of the explorations and discoveries of Fedchenko were published by the Russian government: hisJourneys in Turkestan in 1874,In the Khanat of Khokand in 1875, andBotanical Discoveries in 1876. See alsoPetermann'sMittheilungen (1872–1874).[1]
TheFedchenko Glacier in thePamirs is named after him, as is the asteroid3195 Fedchenko.
The botanical epithetsfedtschenkoi andfedtschenkoanus may each refer to either Alexei Fedtchenko, or his son Boris Fedtchenko.Primula fedtschenkoi (Regel) was named after him in 1875.[7]Bambusa fecunda fedtschenkoi, may have been named after him, also alacewing in 1875,Lopezus fedtschenkoi (MacLachlan).[8] A species ofgecko,Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi, is named in his honor.[9]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fedchenko, Alexis Pavlovich".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 233.