Johann Friedrich Blumenbach11 May 1752 - 22 January 1840Born in Gotha, Germany in 1752, Blumenbach went to Jena to study medicine. He completed his doctoral training in Göttingen in 1775. Only a year later he was appointed extraordinary professor of medicine. His study of the history of man showing the importance of using comparative anatomy and his classification of the five varieties of man were two important contributions made by Blumenbach (1911 Edition). He wasted no time in becoming one of the most influential members in the fields of comparative anatomy, zoology, physiology, anthropology and craniology, in fact Blumenbach is considered the founder of anthropology and craniology. In building this new field of physical anthropology, he used the methods of natural historians and applied those methods to the human species (Keith 106). Objectifying the study of humanity, Blumenbach collected numerous specimens of various races. Skulls, skin, hair and pictures were among the items collected. For each object, the location and breed of the object were known and recorded. Before Blumenbach's systematic assortment of specimens, the only collections "consisted of various oddities kept in the 'closets' of noble houses, for the idle amusement of the curious." (Keith, 106). Blumenbach's most comprehensive collection allowed for an in-depth study of humanity's racial history, which is exactly what he wanted to do. Blumenbach was also the first to study the actual shape of skulls (Retzius 283). The book On the Natural Variety of Humanity was Blumenbach's major contribution to the field of anthropology and comparative anatomy. In this book he discusses the main varieties of humanity, the causes of degeneration, the differences between man and other animals, the differences and causes of differences between the varieties of man, and various other issues relating to the existing varieties of species of Man. Blumenbach says climate is a major contributing factor to racial differences. In fact, he expressly states, “climate is the main cause of the racial face” (Blumenbach 229). According to Blumenbach, diet and customs were also an important contribution. He even went so far as to say that the flattened facial features of the Ethiopians were caused by mothers' practice of carrying children on their backs while they worked, and then pressing the children's faces against the mothers' backs (Schiebinger 393).