Wieland [Guilandinus, Villandino], Melchior

1. Dates

Born: Königsberg, ca. 1520 (Grafton, in disagreement with everyone else, says c. 1500.)

Died: Padua, 8 Jan 1589

Dateinfo: Birth Uncertain

Lifespan: 69

2. Father

Occupation: Unknown

No information on financial status.

3. Nationality

Birth: Königsberg, Germany

Career: Middle East; Padua, Italy

Death: Padua, Italy

4. Education

Schooling: Koenigsberg, Sapienza (Rome)

He attended the University of Königsberg.

He studied in Rome. (I am assuming at the Sapienza.)

I found nothing about a degree.

5. Religion

Affiliation: Catholic

6. Scientific Disciplines

Primary: Botany

Subordinate: Pharmacology

7. Means of Support

Primary: Apothecary, Patronage, Academia

He travelled as far as Sicily, supporting himself by selling medicinal herbs.

He journeyed through many parts of Asia, Palestine, and Egypt with financial assistance and letters of recommendation from Senator Marino Cavalli, Venetian ambassodor to Constantinope. Eventually, after being captured by pirates and shipwrecked, he landed at Genoa, and travelled on to Venice.

1561, he was asked to suceed Anguillara as the director of the Botanical garden at Padua. He was reappointed several times to the chair of "lecturer and demonstrator of medicinal herbs," presumably at the University of Padua, a position he held until his death.

8. Patronage

Types: Aristrocrat, Scientist

Senator Marino Cavalli, one of the reformatori of the Padua Studium, but earlier ambassador to Constantinople, supported his travels.

Gabriele Fallopio ransomed Guildandino from the Barbary pirates for 200 scudi.

Wieland dedicated Theon, 1558, to Wilhelm von Swartzburg, a Polish Count.

He dedicated Epistolae de stirpibus, 1558, to Count Nicolo di Salm.

He dedicated Papyrus, 1572, to Battista Grimaldi of the Genoese Grimaldi, who had aided him ten years earlier after his shipwreck.

9. Technological Involvement

Type: Pharmacology

10. Scientific Societies

Memberships: None

Connections: He had a strong friendship with Falloppio, and a strong enmity with Mattioli.

He corresponded with Aldrovandi.

Sources

1. G.B. de Toni, "Melchiorre Guilandino," in Aldo Mieli, ed., Gli scienziati italiani, 1 (Rome, 1933), 73-6. [Z7407.I8 S4]
2. A. Grafton, "Rhetoric, Philology, and Egyptomania in the 1570's: J.J. Scaliger's Invective against M. Guildandinus's Papyrus," Journal of tahe Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 42 (1979), 167-94.
3. G.E. Ferrari, "Le opere a stampa del Guildandino," in Antonio Barzon, ed. Libri e stampatori in Padova, Miscellanea di studi storici in onore di Mons. G. Bellini, (Padua, 1959), pp. 377-463.

Not Available and Not Consulted

1. Roberto De Visiani, L'Orto botanico di Padova nell'anno MDCCCXLII (Padua, 1842), 9-12.
2. G.C. Pisanski, Nachricht von dem gelehrten Königsberger Melchior Guildandin, (Königsberg, 1975).
3. John M. Riddle, "Three Previously Unknown 16th Century Contributions to Pharmacy, Medicine and Botany--Ioannes Manardes, Franciscus Frigimelica, and Melchior Guilandinus, Pharmacy in History, 21 (1979), 143-55.

Compiled by:

Richard S. Westfall

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Indiana University

Note: the creators of the Galileo Project and this catalogue cannot answer email on geneological questions.