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Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer

1747 – 1801

German anatomist

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About Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer

Lived 1747 – 1801 (aged 53). Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer was a German anatomist, university teacher, botanist and physician.

Johann Christophe Andreas Mayer (8 December 1747 – 5 November 1801) was a German anatomist.

Mayer worked in Berlin and later Frankfurt. In 1788, he was the first European to recognize that fingerprints were unique to each individual.

His 1779 work Anatomische-Physiologische Abhandlung vom Gehirn, Rückmark, und Ursprung der Nerven mistakenly referred to the hippocampus as "hippopotamus" in reference to the digitations of the anterior part of the hippocampus. This terminology was adopted by German anatomists in the following decades.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Employers
University of Frankfurt an der Oder
Also known as
J.C.Mayer, Johann Christophe Andreas Mayer

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer?

German anatomist

When was Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer born?

Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer was born on 8 December 1747 in Greifswald.

When did Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer die?

Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer died on 5 November 1801 in Berlin.

What was Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer's occupation?

Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer was an anatomist, university teacher, botanist and physician.

What nationality was Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer?

Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer

· Wikidata: Q216295

· DBpedia: Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer. https://biography.guide/johann-christoph-andreas-mayer/

MLA: "Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/johann-christoph-andreas-mayer/.

Chicago: "Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/johann-christoph-andreas-mayer/.

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