Evert Julius Bonsdorff
Evert Julius Bonsdorff (1810–1898) was a Finnish doctor and professor who studied anatomy, physiology, and comparative anatomy. He also described many Finnish insect species.
He was born in Turku to a family of German origin. He started at home and joined the university at age fifteen, studying physics, chemistry, and natural history. He developed a strong interest in insects and collected specimens, even during the solar eclipse of 1851. He published a two-volume work on the Diptera (flies) of Finland.
Bonsdorff began medical studies and earned his medical license in 1836. He served as a chief medical officer with the Finnish navy in 1835 and worked as a battalion doctor in 1836. His early research included a 1837 physiology thesis. He studied in Stockholm around 1838–39 under Anders Retzius.
In the 1840s he created a zoological collection at the university, helped by Magnus von Wright. Bonsdorff became a permanent professor in 1846 and focused on comparative anatomy, studying the nerves of the head in animals and other anatomical topics, such as the portal vein system in the burbot fish. He did not strongly embrace Darwin’s ideas.
He also explored the history of forensic medicine in Finland and developed an interest in agriculture in the 1850s. He supported hydrotherapy and experimented with water treatments for tuberculosis. He helped build a large zoological collection, including bird specimens and skulls from different populations.
Bonsdorff retired in 1871. He married Vendla Ottiliana von Willebrand in 1837, and they had three children. His grandson Jarl Axel Wasastjerna became a noted physicist. Bonsdorff died in 1898.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:22 (CET).