Wacław Mayzel (September 12, 1847 – April 19, 1916) was a Polish histologist and the first person to describe

mitosis In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is mainta ...

Biography

Wacław Mayzel was born on September 12, 1847 to Józef and Rozalia (Minheymer) Mayzel, in Kunów, Poland. Having graduated St Ann's secondary school in Cracow in 1865, he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine in the Warsaw General School. Five years later, Mayzel earned a doctorate in the field. During his time as a student, and while working at Henryk Fryderyk Hoyer's (senior) Institute of Histology and Physiology, he wrote a paper titled ''Poszukiwania nad powstawaniem ropy'' (''Exploring the formation of

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

''), critically acclaimed by his faculty. In it, Mayzel discusses Cohnheim's claims that during inflammation,

leukocytes White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

exit blood vessels and take part in the formation of pus. After receiving a diploma ''cum eximia laude'', Mayzel took up a position of a lab assistant in Hoyer's Histology and Embryology faculty, instructing students in microscope usage, and conducting his own research. While observing

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is one of the four basic types of animal tissue, along with connective tissue, muscle tissue and nervous tissue. It is a thin, continuous, protective layer of compactly packed cells with a little intercellul ...

regeneration, he noticed that nuclei of some of the newly formed cells feature unknown to him grains and fibers. He then, in 1874, informed the Warsaw Medical Association about his research so as to be credited in case an important discovery is made.

Eduard Strasburger Eduard Adolf Strasburger (1 February 1844 – 18 May 1912) was a Polish-German professor and one of the most famous botanists of the 19th century. He discovered mitosis in plants. Life Eduard Strasburger was born in Warsaw, Congress Poland, the ...

and

Otto Bütschli Johann Adam Otto Bütschli (3 May 1848 – 2 February 1920) was a German zoologist and professor at the University of Heidelberg. He specialized in invertebrates and insect development. Many of the groups of protists were first recognized by him. ...

's work, published the following year, convinced Mayzel that his observations are related to the division of the nucleus, and so he presented them in a paper titled ''Ueber eigenthümliche Vorgänge bei der Theilung der Kerne in Epithelialzellen'' or ''O szczególnych zjawiskach przy dzieleniu się jąder w komórkach nabłonkowych'' (''On peculiar occurrences during the division of nuclei in epithelium cells''). In the following years, Mayzel continued his research and published more papers, sometimes illustrating them on his own. He made observations on mitosis in living cells, including the order of changes that happen during the division, noticed an analogy in impregnation and early development of animal and plant cells, and spoke against the idea of karyolysis. He presented his research to a wider public during various medical conferences in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

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 ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. Apart from the work related to mitosis, Mayzel took up educational and humanitarian activities. As a hygienist and bacteriologist, he helped set up waterworks and a sewerage system in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, and published numerous papers on microscopic water analysis. Despite not centering his career on therapeutics, Mayzel showed interest in parasitology, tuberculosis research, and medical analysis, and temporarily worked in a clinic in Warsaw. Among his interests was also urology, particularly urine analysis; in 1894, during a medical conference in Rome, he presented his own method of detecting uric acid in urine. Mayzel translated or helped translate about a dozen works into the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...

, including

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

's ''

On the Origin of Species ''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life''),The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by Me ...

''.

Personal life

Wacław Mayzel was married to Bronisława Mayzel (Kleszczyńska), and had a daughter Zofia Guźkowska (Mayzel).

Selected works

*''Poszukiwania nad powstawaniem ropy'' (Klinika, 1869) *''Ueber eigenthümliche Vorgänge bei der Theilung der Kerne in Epithelialzellen'' (Zentralblatt für die Medizinischen Wissenschaften, 1875) *''O szczególnych zjawiskach przy dzieleniu się jąder w komórkach nabłonkowych'' (Medycyna, 1875) *''Przyczynek do sprawy dzielenia się jąder komórkowych'' (Gazeta Lekarska, 1876) *''Dalszy przyczynek do sprawy dzielenia się jąder komórkowych'' (Gazeta Lekarska, 1877) *''O pierwszych zmianach w jajku zapłodnionem i o podziale komórek'' (Pamflet Towarzystwa Lekarskiego Warszawskiego, 1878) *''O zjawiskach przy segmentacji jajek robaków (Nematoda) i ślimaków'' (Gazeta Lekarska, 1879) *''O karyomitozie'' (Księga pamiątkowa prof. Hoyera, 1884) *''Wskazówki do rozbioru moczu'' (Rocznik Lekarski, 1890)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayzel, Wacław University of Warsaw alumni Polish microbiologists Polish public health doctors 1847 births 1916 deaths Burials at Powązki Cemetery People from Ostrowiec County Histologists Polish translators 19th-century translators