Beknopte natuurlijke historie der zoogende dieren

Beknopte natuurlijke historie der zoogende dieren (Leiden, 1793-1800) is a richly illustrated textbook for children. The work appeared in 3 volumes and contains 27 engravings, each depicting several animals. The booklet clearly shows how science was increasingly being made accessible to children during that time.

Young readers

The author, Jan David Pasteur (1753-1804), writes in the introduction that there is still much for young readers to discover in the field of ‘natural history’ – but that much is hidden in thick books with long descriptions that would only cause them ‘sadness’. Pasteur wants to do things differently: he combines beautiful illustrations with vivid descriptions of the appearance and behavior of animals. The book is full of wondrous stories. For instance, in the chapter on monkeys, he writes about a country in the East Indies where, because of religion, one is not allowed to eat meat or kill animals:

one can understand that the monkeys must multiply greatly there, and not only is it understood that they are not killed, but if any of these animals are found that are sick or injured, they are brought to a hospital specifically established for animals and allowed to recover there, or even live there if they so choose. The monkeys come there in whole troops with complete freedom into the cities and even into houses, especially into fruit shops, where the fruit sellers then have a lot of work keeping them away from their wares.

And concerning the King of Siam, who was fond of his elephant, he remarks disparagingly: ‘It is shameful that man so humbles himself as to become the slave of an animal which, however clever it may be, has still been placed by the Creator far below man.’ In total, Pasteur discusses nearly 140 animal species, not overlooking man either.