Belsazar Hacquet

Who was Belsazar Hacquet?

Belsazar de la Motte Hacquet, was an Austrian physician of French descent in the Enlightenment Era. He was a war surgeon, a physician in the mining town of Idrija, and a professor of anatomy and surgery in Laibach. He researched the geology and botany of Carniola, Istria, and nearby places, and was the first explorer of the Julian Alps. He also did ethnographical work among the South Slavic peoples, particularly among the Slovene-speaking population. He self-identified primarily as a chemist and introduced the methods of chemical analysis to Carniola.