1765-1844

German anatomist whose work in comparative biology helped advance that field considerably. Keilmeyer was one of the first to note that there exists among organisms some basic "body plans," around which organisms are organized. This observation led to the classification of organisms into family groupings and is one of the bases for classifying fossil organisms into their respective taxonomic groups. Keilmeyer was one of the more influential teachers of the great scientist Georges Cuvier.