Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen
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Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen (2009)
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| Born | 9 July 1929 |
| Died | 3 June 2016 (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Malacology |
Adolph Cornelis 'Dolf' van Bruggen (born July 9, 1929 – died June 3, 2016) was a Dutch scientist. He was known for studying molluscs (like snails and slugs), insects, and plants. For over 50 years, he was very interested in the tropics, especially tropical Africa. He was an expert on certain families of land snails, such as Streptaxidae, Achatinidae, and Maizaniidae. By 2008, he had written about 655 scientific papers.
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Early Years of a Scientist
Adolph Cornelis van Bruggen was born on July 9, 1929. He grew up in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands. From a young age, he loved nature and animals. His father worked for the Ministry of Education, which also managed the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (a natural history museum).
After finishing school in 1949, Dolf's father introduced him to Dr. Carel Octavius van Regteren Altena. Dr. Altena was a curator (someone who looks after collections) of Mollusca at the museum. He encouraged Dolf's interest in studying molluscs, which is called malacology.
Studying at Leiden University
Dolf went to Leiden University. There, he studied how to classify plants, how animals live in their environments (animal ecology), and how to classify animals. In 1956, he finished his studies. Before that, he spent three years helping Professor Dr. Hilbrand Boschma, who was the director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie.
Dolf's career in malacology began in 1948. That year, he joined the Dutch Malacological Society. His first paper about molluscs was published in 1948. It was a short note about finding a type of marine clam called Anomia ephippium in the Netherlands. His very first publication, earlier that year, was about seeing seals and a horse mackerel on a Dutch beach.
While in Leiden, Dolf met his future wife, Wenda van Bruggen-Gorter. She quickly learned about his love for molluscs! One evening on their honeymoon in Switzerland, Dolf found a beautiful slug, Limax cinereoniger. He wanted to take it home for his collection. Since he didn't have any glass jars, he asked to use Wenda's evening bag to carry the slug!
Dolf had planned to go to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) after his studies. However, this became impossible when the country became independent in 1949. Since Dolf was very interested in tropical places, he and Wenda decided to move to Africa instead.
Adventures in Africa (1957–1966)
In May 1957, Dolf and Wenda sailed to South Africa. On their way, they stopped at the remote island of St Helena. Dolf made a daring effort to reach the shore with his special collecting tool, which other travelers thought was a Geiger counter!
In South Africa, Dolf worked for the Ministry of Agriculture in Pretoria. His job was to study insects that caused problems in warehouses. After three years, he took a new job as a Marine Biologist and Curator at the new Oceanarium in Port Elizabeth. This was the first place of its kind in Africa, so there were many challenges to get it started.
Soon after, the Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg offered him a job as a curator of malacology. This was an offer he couldn't refuse! Both Dolf and Wenda worked at the museum from 1962 to 1966. Wenda was a librarian and helped Dolf with his fieldwork. They often went on trips to collect specimens, traveling as far north as Malawi and Zambia in the museum's Land Rover. Dolf always wrote detailed notes in his fieldbooks. His collection of notes, called Africana Biologica, grew to 1550 pages!
During his time in Africa, Dolf studied not only insects and his favorite snails, but also mammals and birds. He made many friends with managers and rangers in National Parks. He also became very involved in nature conservation. Being surrounded by African wildlife made him even more interested in zoos. In 1963, for the 125th birthday of Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, Dolf sent them a special gift: several rock hyraxes (small, furry mammals) by plane from South Africa.
In early 1966, Professor Dr. Van der Vecht, who taught Systematic Zoology at Leiden University, sent Dolf a message. He asked Dolf to return to Holland to share his knowledge from Africa with students. A few months later, the van Bruggens sailed back to the Netherlands. Their cat traveled by plane and stayed at Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo until they arrived.
Back in the Netherlands
In Leiden, Dolf was in charge of teaching university students about Systematic Zoology. In 1969, he earned his Ph.D. His thesis (a long research paper) was about the land molluscs of Zululand and their distribution in Southern Africa. His supervisor was Professor Dr. Leo Brongersma, the director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie.
Dolf started teaching during the "Roaring Sixties," a time when students wanted more say in their education. Even though students became more friendly with their teachers, most still called him 'Dr van Bruggen' until they earned their own Ph.D. Still, his lectures were very popular, and he was once voted "most popular teacher," which surprised him! Students especially loved his almost yearly trips to Antwerp Zoo.
Even though he worked for the university, his actual workplace was at the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, just a few minutes away. This allowed him to use the museum's huge library and study its collections. Every year, he and Wenda traveled to London to visit the Natural History Museum and meet friends and colleagues.
Helping Scientific Groups
Besides his main job, Dolf spent a lot of time helping organizations he cared about. The Dutch Malacological Society (NMV) benefited most from his energy. He served as Secretary, interim President, and Treasurer on their Board. Wenda also helped, serving as Treasurer for several years. Dolf was also an editor for the society's publications for many years, including Correspondentieblad and Basteria, their scientific journal. In 1999, he was made an Honorary Member of the Society.
He also led the 7th International Malacological Congress in Amsterdam in 1977. From 1989 to 1999, Dolf was chairman of the Netherlands Commission for International Nature Conservation. He also helped with the Netherlands Zoological Society and other nature groups. His interest in zoos was clear from his huge collection of zoo guides from all over the world.
Dolf retired in 1994. His farewell lecture was titled Semper aliquid novi ex Africam adferre, which means "there is always something new from Africa." This phrase really showed his lifelong passion. After retiring, he continued to work at the Leiden museum, studying and publishing about molluscs and other topics.
In 1973, Dolf and Wenda were asked to lead a safari (a trip to see wildlife) to Kenya and Tanzania. This became a yearly event that lasted until 1990. These trips were soon organized by a travel agency, and many people joined regularly, becoming close friends with Dolf and Wenda. Each trip was carefully planned, with reading lists sent to participants. Afterward, a list of all the mammals and birds seen was shared.
After 1990, Dolf and Wenda made several private trips to southern Africa, visiting friends and family. In 2008, a colleague named Dai Herbert asked Dolf to help revise some material collected in the Drakensberg Mountains. Dolf happily accepted, as it meant he could continue working on his great love: the land snails of South Africa.
Dolf van Bruggen passed away on June 3, 2016.
Discoveries and Honors
Dolf van Bruggen discovered and named many new types of animals and plants during his career. These new species included many kinds of snails and insects, as well as some plants.
Other scientists also honored Dolf van Bruggen by naming new species after him. This is a special way to recognize a scientist's important contributions to their field. These species include different kinds of spiders, millipedes, insects, snails, and clams.
See Also
- List of malacologists
Images for kids
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Gulella streptostelopsis shell
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Three views of the shell of Chloritis vanbruggeni
