After his return to Cassel and his marriage, as well as the death of his eldest son, Pfeiffer had grown unhappy with his medical practice, finding the state of medical science at the time insufficient for his intellectual needs, and gave it up to focus on scientific studies and literary works, particularly in the fields of botany and conchology. His first scientific work, published in 1837, was a book cataloging and describing the various cactus species used in German gardens. It was well received, and as a result, he became known as "Kaktus-Pfeiffer". In 1839, Pfeiffer was sent to
Cuba with
Johannes Gundlach and
Eduard Otto in order to study the flora, fauna, and natural history of the West Indies, and it was this experience that piqued his interest in
mollusks,
conchology, and
malacology. The group explored other islands in the Caribbean, but the experience had to come to and end, as the extended absence from home, which coincided with the deaths of his two remaining children, caused a rift between Pfeiffer and his wife that led to their divorce almost immediately upon his return to Europe in 1841. After remarrying, Pfeiffer adopted a sedentary and academic lifestyle, focusing his energy on the specimens and data he had collected in Cuba, classifying more than 20 new genera and species of mollusks. He proved to be a prolific publisher, and expanded his interest from conchology to the botany that had been his first love, writing several treatises on the nature flora of Hesse and its surrounding regions, coedited with the esteemed botanist Johann Cassebeer. Since 1836, Pfeiffer had been a member of the Cassel Society for Natural history, and from 1837 a member of the
German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the
Regensburg Botanical Society. In 1868, Pfeiffer and his colleagues
Wilhelm Kobelt and
Karl Ludwig Fridolin von Sandberger added a further membership with the founding of the German Malacozoological Society. In 1871, Pfeiffer's already failing health was dealt a blow with the death of his youngest son Wilhelm, only 19 years old, on the battlefield in France, one of innumerable casualties of the
Franco-Prussian War. In 1874, the increasingly frail Louis Pfeiffer undertook a two-month journey to
Catalonia, where his eldest son Hermann was in business as a merchant, and the trip appears to have been an uneventful one, despite conceding directly with the
coup d'état that toppled the
First Spanish Republic. In 1875, on the 50th anniversary of his doctorate, and the 70th anniversary of his birth, he was surprised by the medical faculty of the University of Marburg, who renewed his doctoral credentials. In addition to the renewal of his medical doctorate, he was also given an
honorary doctorate in philosophy by the philosophy faculty, honoring a life spent in pursuit of knowledge. Pfeiffer was also awarded the Prussian
Order of the Red Eagle, 4th class, in gratitude for scientific service to the nation. Ludwig Carl Georg Pfeiffer died of a lung infection on October 2, 1877.
Animals described He named more than 20 new genera and species, some of which have become synonyms: •
Albinaria praeclara L. Pfeiffer, 1853 •
Belgrandiella parreyssii L. Pfeiffer, 1841 •
Bittiolum varium L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Bourciera L. Pfeiffer, 1853 •
Buccinum pusillum L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Astyris lunata Say, 1826 •
Cerithium martinianum L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Rhinoclavis (Rhinoclavis) fasciata Bruguière, 1792 •
Cerithium pallidum L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Bittiolum varium L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Cerithium varium L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Bittiolum varium L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Cyclotini L. Pfeiffer, 1853 •
Diplommatinidae L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Gonaxis prostratus L. Pfeiffer, 1856 •
Glugea cladocera L. Pfeiffer 1895 •
Gulella L. Pfeiffer, 1856 •
Helix micans L. Pfeiffer, 1845 is a synonym of
Pfeifferia micans Gray, 1853 •
Hydrocena bridgesi L. Pfeiffer, 1850 •
Hydrocena cattaroensis L. Pfeiffer, 1841 •
Hydrocena cerea L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Hydrocena cornea L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Hydrocena exserta L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Hydrocena navigatorum L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Hydrocena obtusa L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Hydrocena pyramis L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Hydrocena solidula L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Kaliella barrakporensis L. Pfeiffer, 1853 •
Leptopoma L. Pfeiffer, 1847 •
Limborelia exquisita L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Lissachatina reticulata L. Pfeiffer, 1845 •
Marginella pellucida L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Prunum pellucidum L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Melampus cristatus L. Pfeiffer, 1854 •
Melampus floridanus L. Pfeiffer, 1856 •
Murex martinianus L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Pterynotus alatus Röding, 1798 •
Natica livida L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Nucula hartvigiana L. Pfeiffer in Dohrn, 1864 •
Omphalotropis L. Pfeiffer, 1851 •
Omphalotropis guamensis L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Omphalotropis plicosa L. Pfeiffer, 1852 •
Oreobba Codonodes L. Pfeiffer, 1847 •
Palaina capillacea L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Palaina macgillivrayi L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Paludinella L. Pfeiffer, 1841 •
Prunum pellucidum L. Pfeiffer, 1840 •
Sculptaria L. Pfeiffer, 1855 •
Sunetta (Sunettina) L. Pfeiffer, 1869 is a synonym of
Sunetta Link, 1807 •
Terebra maculosa L. Pfeiffer, 1840 is a synonym of
Acus maculatus Linnaeus, 1758 •
Theba macandrewiana L. Pfeiffer, 1853 •
Truncatella californica L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Truncatella ceylanica L. Pfeiffer, 1857 •
Truncatella pulchella L. Pfeiffer, 1839 •
Venus puella L. Pfeiffer, 1846 is a synonym of
Anomalocardia puella L.Pfeiffer, 1846
Plants described by Pfeiffer •
Alziniana (Pfeiff. 1873) is a synonym for
Alzatea (Ruiz & Pav. 1794) •
Cephalocereus (Pfeiff. 1838) •
Cuscutina (Pfeiff. 1846) is a synonym of
Cuscuta (L. 1753) •
Discocactus (Pfeiff. 1837) •
Engelmannia (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym of
Cuscuta (L. 1753) •
Epilinella (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym of
Cuscuta (L. 1753) •
Gymnocampus (Pfeiff. 1874) is a synonym of
Stylidiaceae (R. Br. 1810) •
Hosta (Pfeiff. 1874) •
Lepismium (Pfeiff. 1835) •
Terminthia (Pfeiff. 1876) is a synonym for
Searsia (F.A. Barkley 1942) •
Cuscuta hassiaca (Pfeiff. 1843) is a synonym for
Cuscuta suaveolens (Ser. 1840) •
Cuscuta schkuhriana (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym for
Cuscuta europaea (L. 1753) •
Engelmannia migrans (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym for
Cuscuta suaveolens (Ser. 1840) •
Epilinella cuscutoides (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym for
Cuscuta epilinum (Weihe 1824) •
Verbascum ruderale (Pfeiff. 1845) is a synonym for
Verbascum nigrum (L. 1753)
Plant life named after Pfeiffer •
Pfeiffera (Salm-Dyck 1845) •
Pfeifferago (Kuntze 1891) is a synonym for
Codia (J.R.Forst. & G.Forst., 1775) •
Pfeifferia (Buching. 1846) •
Cactus pfeifferianus (Kuntze 1891) is a synonym for
Coryphantha cornifera (Lem. 1868) •
Cereus pfeifferi (Pfeiff. 1837) is a synonym for
Pilosocereus lanuginosus (Byles & G.D.Rowley 1957) •
Echinocactus pfeifferi (Seitz 1837) is a synonym for
Ferocactus glaucescens (Britton & Rose 1922) •
Echinofossulocactus pfeifferii (Lawr. 1841) is a synonym for
Ferocactus glaucescens •
Mammillaria pfeifferi (Schiedw. 1839) is a synonym for
Mammillaria rhodantha (Link & Otto, 1829) •
Mammillaria pfeifferiana (de Vriese 1839) is a synonym for
Coryphantha cornifera (Lem. 1868)
Marine life named after Pfeiffer '', a nassa mud snail named in honor of Pfeiffer In the course of time, 24 marine species have been named after Pfeiffer with the epithets
pfeifferi,
pfeifferae,
pfeifferianus and
pfeifferianum, many of which have become synonyms: •
Asperiscala pfeifferi (de Boury, 1913) is a synonym of
Epitonium candeanum (d'Orbigny, 1842) •
Astarte pfeifferi (Philippi, 1849) is a synonym of
Crassinella lunulata (Conrad, 1834) •
Azorica pfeifferae (Carter, 1876) is a synonym of
Leiodermatium pfeifferae (Carter, 1876) •
Cerithium (
Proclava)
pfeifferi (Dunker, 1882) is a synonym of
Rhinoclavis (Proclava) sordidula (Gould, 1849) •
Clava pfeifferi (Dunker, 1882) is a synonym of
Rhinoclavis (Proclava) sordidula (Gould, 1849) •
Clava turritum var. pfeifferi (Dunker, 1882) is a synonym of
Rhinoclavis (Proclava) sordidula (Gould, 1849) •
Cymatium pfeifferianum (Reeve, 1844) •
Engraulis pfeifferi Bleeker, 1852 is a synonym of
Setipinna breviceps (Cantor, 1849) •
Eutritonium pfeifferianum Reeve is a synonym of
Cymatium pfeifferianum (Reeve, 1844) •
Fusus pfeifferi Philippi, 1846 is a synonym of
Pseudolatirus pfeifferi (Philippi, 1846) •
Gibberula pfeifferi Faber, 2004 •
Laimodonta pfeifferi Dunker in Pfeiffer, 1860 is a synonym of
Allochroa layardi (H. Adams & A. Adams, 1855) •
Leiodermatium pfeifferae (Carter, 1876) •
Nassarius pfeifferi (Philippi, 1844) •
Polynemus pfeifferi Bleeker, 1853 is a synonym of
Filimanus xanthonema (Valenciennes, 1831) •
Pseudolatirus pfeifferi (Philippi, 1846) •
Reticutriton pfeifferianus (Reeve, 1844) •
Sargassum obovatum var.
pfeifferae (Grunow) Grunow, 1915 •
Sargassum pfeifferae Grunow, 1874 is a synonym of
Sargassum obovatum var.
pfeifferae (Grunow) Grunow, 1915 •
Sodaliscala pfeifferi de Boury, 1913 is a synonym of
Epitonium candeanum (d'Orbigny, 1842) •
Solen pfeifferi Dunker, 1862 •
Tichogonia pfeifferi Dunker, 1853 is a synonym of
Mytilopsis sallei (Récluz, 1849) •
Triton pfeifferianus Reeve, 1844 is a synonym of
Reticutriton pfeifferianus (Reeve, 1844) •
Vertagus pfeifferi Dunker, 1882 is a synonym of
Rhinoclavis (Proclava) sordidula (Gould, 1849) ==Bibliography==