Eduard Oscar Schmidt (21 February 1823, in
Torgau
Torgau () is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.
Outside Germany, the town is best known as where on 25 April 1945, the United States and Soviet Armies forces first ...
– 17 January 1886, in
Kappelrodeck) was a German
zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
and phycologist.
Biography
He initially studied
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
at
Halle, then continued his education in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, where he came under the influence of
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (19 April 1795 – 27 June 1876) was a German naturalist, zoologist, comparative anatomist, geologist, and microscopist. Ehrenberg was an evangelist and was considered to be of the most famous and productive scie ...
and
Johannes Peter Müller
Johannes Peter Müller (14 July 1801 – 28 April 1858) was a German physiologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, ichthyology, ichthyologist, and herpetology, herpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability ...
. In 1847 he received his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
at the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The un ...
, becoming an associate professor during the following year. In 1855 was he appointed professor of zoology at the
University of Cracow. Later he taught classes at the Universities of
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
(from 1857) and
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
(from 1872).
Schmidt was an early proponent of
Darwinian evolutionary thought. He is remembered for his research of
Porifera (sponges), particularly species from the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. Schmidt also made contributions in the field of
phycology
Phycology () is the scientific study of algae. Also known as algology, phycology is a branch of life science.
Algae are important as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Most algae are eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms that live in a w ...
.
As far back as 1862 Oscar Schmidt showed that "cuttings" of sponges will attach themselves and grow. This idea was followed through in the experiments of Croatian scientist
Grgur Bučić on the island of
Hvar
Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long,
wi ...
, from 1863–1872, but these experiments were brought to a close by the hostility of the native fishermen.
[(Croatian]
Prirodoslovni kabinet "Dr. Grgur Bučić"
Muzej hvarske baštine
Written works
Schmidt built a reputation based upon a handbook of
comparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species).
The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...
, the 9th edition of which, by
Arnold Lang, was issued under the title ''Lehrbuch der vergleichenden Anatomie der wirbellosen Tiere'' (1888–1894). He made significant contributions to ''
Brehms Tierleben
''Brehms Tierleben'' (English title: ''Brehm's Animal Life'') is a scientific reference book, first published in the 1860s by Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829–1884). It was one of the first modern popular zoological treatises. First published in ...
'', and was the author of several treatises on sponges. The following are some of his principal writings:
* ''Bilder aus dem Norden'' - Images of the North, based on Schmidt's second expedition to the
Faeroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway betwee ...
and the
North Cape, 1851.
* ''Goethes Verhältnis zu den organischen Naturwissenschaften'', (1853).
* ''Lehrbuch der Zoologie'' - Textbook of zoology, 1854.
* ''Die Entwicklung der vergleichenden Anatomie'' - Development of comparative anatomy, 1855.
* ''Die Spongien des adriatischen Meeres'' - Sponges of the Adriatic Sea, 1862.
* ''Das Alter der Menschheit und das Paradies'', (with
Franz Unger, 1866).
* ''Descendenzlehre und Darwinismus''
''The Doctrine of Descent and Darwinism'' (1873, 3rd edition 1884).
* ''Leitfaden der Zoologie'' (4th edition 1882).
* ''Die Säugethiere in ihrem Verhältnis zur Vorwelt'', (1884).
See also
*
:Taxa named by Eduard Oscar Schmidt
Notes
References
Wikisourcetranslated biography @
Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie
''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, german: Universal German Biography) is one of the most important and comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language.
It was published by the Historical Commission of the Bavarian Aca ...
*
External links
*
*
1823 births
1886 deaths
19th-century German zoologists
Jagiellonian University faculty
People from the Province of Saxony
People from Torgau
Spongiologists
Academics of the University of Graz
University of Jena faculty
University of Strasbourg faculty
{{Germany-zoologist-stub