Bock Karl Alfred

(17.09.1849 - 10.08.1932)

Swedish zoologist.

Born in Copenhagen. In 1868 he moved to England, where he first studied at the Swedish-Norwegian consulate in Grimsby. From 1875 he lived in London, where he was financially supported by Lord Arthur Seine (Arthur Hay, 9th Marquis of Tviddale) for a study trip to Southeast Asia. Bock managed to visit only Sumatra, as he received the main post in the Dutch-Indian expedition to Borneo. In 1878-1879, he explored the Makakam River, moving from the mouth of the east coast to the interior of the island. After 5 months, he reached the south coast in Banjarmasin. In 1881, he moved with the financial support of the King of Siam to Thailand and Laos.

After a short stay in Norway (since 1883) in 1886, Bock was appointed by the Norwegian-Swedish Vice-Consul and in 1893, by the Consul-General in Shanghai. He held this post until 1902.

In 1913, Boc defended his thesis at Uppsala University and until 1919 was a conservative at the Zoological Institute in Uppsala.

In 1927, Boc became a teacher in a general textbook in Norrköping. In 1929 he was appointed a professor and until the end of his life he was the head of the invertebrate department at the Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. In 1945 he was elected to the Academy of Sciences.

On the west coast of Sweden, Boc discovered traces of the first people from an unknown population who received the name Xenoturbella bocki in his honor.

During his expedition trips, Bok rich ethnographic collections, which are now stored in museums in London and Oslo. Some of the published descriptions of his travels were illustrated by Japanese artists.

Stranded in the Dikson Fjord between Cape Smith and Viik. The coordinates are 78° 37.5'N   15° 12.0'E.