Johann August Ephraim Goeze

Johann August Ephraim Goeze
Johann August Ephraim Goeze
Born	(1731-05-28)28 May 1731 Aschersleben, Principality of Halberstadt, Holy Roman Empire
Died	27 June 1793(1793-06-27) (aged 62) Quedlinburg, Kingdom of Prussia, Holy Roman Empire
Nationality	German
Alma mater	University of Halle
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology

Johann August Ephraim Goeze (German: [joˈhan ˈʔaʊɡʊst ˈʔeːfʁa.ɪm ˈɡœtsə]; 28 May 1731 – 27 June 1793) was a German zoologist, born in Aschersleben. He is known for the discovery of tardigrades, also called water bears. He was the son of Johann Heinrich and Catherine Margarete (née Kirchhoff). He studied theology at University of Halle. He married Leopoldine Maria Keller in 1770, by whom he had four children. In 1751, he became a pastor in Aschersleben, in Quedlinburg, and later of St. Blasius' Church [de] in Quedlinburg in 1762, finally becoming first deacon of the seminary of Quedlinburg in 1787. He died in Quedlinburg.

He did much work with aquatic invertebrates, particularly insects and worms. In 1773, he was the first to describe tardigrades. In 1784, Goeze perceived the similarities between the heads of tapeworms found in the human intestinal tract and the invaginated heads of Cysticercus cellulosae in pigs.^[1]