authority says four-at Montpellier under RONDELET) until he became skilled in ancient languages as well as in medicine and natural history."
"Seeking health and specimens, he travelled much throughout Switzerland, southern Germany, France, and northern Italy (where he met SALVIANI and ALDROVANDI)."

[Gudger 1934: 33] "Despite the lifelong handicap of ill health, and the laborious duties of his profession, GESNER, by reason of great native ability and intense application, became the most learned man of his day in western Europe."
"In this brief sketch attention must be confined to his " Historia Animalium," written in Latin and appearing volume by volume at Zurich (Tiguri) from I55I I587. These four great folip tomes comprise 4500 pages, illustrated by hundreds of wood cuts, and in them is brought together the knowledge of the world past and present of the animals then known."

qui est de Piscium & Aquatilium
animantium natura.
Tiguri [Zurich], MDLVIII.
This great folio comprises I297 pages and is illustrated by over 900 woodcuts. The fishes and other water animals are set out alphabetically according to their Latin names and nearly every one has an illustrative figure. The account of each animal is taken up under some seven or eight sub-heads in true encyclopedia fashion. GESNER has incorporated herein the work of BELON and RONDELET and has labelled each form with the name of its original describer. Data is also quoted from all other known authors who have described water animals. The figures are very good woodcuts, and all, original and copied, were drawn (so we are told) either by GESNER himself or under his eye by artists in his own home. These materials had been accumulated by an enormously wide reading (GESNER says that he consulted 250 works), and by an equally wide correspondence said to have included every student of natural history in Europe."