Carl Bergmann | |
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Born | Karl Georg Lucas Christian Bergmann 18 May 1814 |
Died | 30 April 1865 | (aged 50)
Alma mater | University of Göttingen |
Known for | "Bergmann's rule" |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Anatomy, physiology |
Thesis | De placentae foetalis resorptione (On the resorption of the fetal placenta) (1838) |
Carl Georg Lucas Christian Bergmann (18 May 1814 – 30 April 1865), also known as Karl Georg Lucas Christian Bergmann, was a German anatomist, physiologist, and biologist. He developed Bergmann's rule (that populations and species of animals of larger size are found in colder environments).[1] He microscopically examined the cells of the retina to determine which of them convert light into neural signals that lead ultimately to visual perception: the cones and the rods.[2] Bergmann also coined the terms fovea centralis (for the very center of the retina),[2] homoiothermic (referring to warm-blooded animals), and poikilothermic (referring to non-homoiothermic animals).[3]