Kolding
Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companies, ...
– died June 1989 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
) was a Danish
mycologist
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...
. He was an expert of the fungal group colloquially known as the
Pyrenomycetes
Sordariomycetes is a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina (Ascomycota), consisting of 28 orders, 90 families, 1344 genera. Sordariomycetes is from the Latin sordes (filth) because some species grow in animal feces, though growth habit ...
, and best known for his 1957 work "Danish Pyrenomycetes".
Biography
Munk's introduction to mycology was from Poul Larsen, who was previously a teacher and a former colleague of Munk's parents. Around that time Munk also made contact with biologist
Øjvind Winge
Øjvind Winge (May 19, 1886 – April 5, 1964) was a Danish biologist and a pioneer in yeast genetics.
Education
Winge was born in the city of Aarhus in Jutland, the mainland of Denmark. After completing secondary school he travelled to the Univ ...
, who introduced Munk to the Pyrenomycetes, which were also his own main interest. Munk started studying
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...
in 1940. His interest in the fungi was further enhanced after reading
John Axel Nannfeldt
John-Axel Nannfeldt (baptized ''Johan Axel Frithiof Nannfeldt''), born 18 January 1904 in Trelleborg and deceased 4 November 1985 in Uppsala, was a Swedish botanist and mycologist.
Nannfeldt studied natural history at the University of Uppsal ...
's 1932 work on the
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
and
systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...
of the
discomycetes
Discomycetes is a former taxonomic class of Ascomycete fungi which contains all of the cup, sponge and brain fungi and some club-like fungi. It includes typical cup fungi like the scarlet elf cup and the orange peel fungus, and fungi with frui ...
. Munk worked for some summers at the then-newly started , where he increased his knowledge about the ecology of the Pyrenomycetes.
After graduating in 1946, Munk got a short-term job at Løvens Kemiske Fabrik (now
LEO Pharma
LEO Pharma A/S is a multinational Danish pharmaceutical company, founded in 1908, with a presence in about 100 countries. Its headquarters are in Ballerup, near Copenhagen The company is 100% integrated into a private foundation owned by the LEO F ...
). He did not enjoy the work (manufacturing
antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...
s), and shortly after started teaching at , a private school in
Silkeborg
Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).dissertation in 1953. Apart from a short-term scholarship with
Morten Lange
Knud Morten Lange (24 November 1919 – 10 November 2003) was a Danish mycologist and politician. He was son the mycologist Jakob E. Lange. He was professor of botany at the University of Copenhagen 1958-1989 and university vice chancellor 1976– ...
in 1963, the rest of Munk's career was largely devoted to teaching.
Munk was married to Ruth, who he met as a fellow student at university, and with whom he had four children. He spent the last years of his life in pain from
spondylosis
Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related wear and tear of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degenera ...
of the
cervical vertebrae
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In ...
.
Eponymy
Several
fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...