The correct answer is option 'C', which states that the artificial system of classification was first used by Pliny the Elder.

Explanation:
1. Introduction to the artificial system of classification:
- The artificial system of classification is a method of organizing and categorizing living organisms based on specific characteristics chosen by humans rather than natural relationships.
- This system does not consider evolutionary relationships or genetic similarities.

2. Pliny the Elder:
- Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, philosopher, and author who lived from 23-79 AD.
- He is best known for his work "Naturalis Historia" (Natural History), which is a comprehensive encyclopedia of scientific knowledge of his time.
- In this work, Pliny categorized and described various plants, animals, and minerals based on their physical characteristics and uses.

3. Usage of artificial system of classification by Pliny the Elder:
- Pliny the Elder used an artificial system of classification in his work "Naturalis Historia."
- He categorized plants based on their medicinal properties, physical appearance, and uses.
- Similarly, he classified animals based on their habitat, behavior, and physical characteristics.
- His classification system was not based on evolutionary relationships or genetic similarities but rather on practical and observable features.

4. Comparison with other scientists:
- Linnaeus: Carl Linnaeus, an 18th-century Swedish botanist, is widely regarded as the father of modern taxonomy.
- He developed the binomial nomenclature system and the hierarchical classification system based on shared characteristics.
- Linnaeus' system focused on natural relationships and was not artificial.
- De Candolle: Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, a 19th-century Swiss botanist, proposed the natural system of classification.
- His system emphasized the relationships between plants based on their morphological and anatomical features.
- Bentham and Hooker: George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker, 19th-century British botanists, developed the Bentham and Hooker system of classification.
- Their system was based on evolutionary relationships and shared characteristics.

5. Conclusion:
- Pliny the Elder was the first to use the artificial system of classification in his work "Naturalis Historia."
- This system categorizes organisms based on practical and observable features rather than evolutionary relationships or genetic similarities.

Pliny the Elder, in his book Natural History