Erxleben, John Christian Polycarp

, an eminent naturalist, was born at Quedlinburgh, June 22, 1744, and became professor of philosophy at Gottingen, where he had studied, and where he died, too soon for the sciences, August 15, 1777, aged only thirty-three years, during the latter part of which his merit had procured him admission into most of the learned societies of Europe. In 177 1 he published “Practical Observations on the Veterinary | Art,” in which he had attained great knowledge, This work relates to the diseases of domestic animals, and particularly that among the horned cattle, for which a method of inoculation was attempted, the result of which was that out of nine only four died from inoculation, whereas in the natural way seven out of nine perished: but the chief advantage of the experiment was, that the inoculated cattle were never subject to a fresh attack of the disease. His other works are, “Dissertations relative to Natural Philosophy and Chemistry,” 1776;“” Elements of Natural History,“2 vols. 8vo, Gottingen, fourth edition, improved by Gmelin” Elements of Physic,“Francfort, 1794, 8vo, sixth edition, with additions by Lichtenberg” Elements of Chemistry," Gottingen, 1790, 8vo, the third edition, &c. ¹