Ernst Albert Gäumann (6 October 1893 – 5 December 1963) was a Swiss

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

who made contributions to

plant pathology Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

. As professor and director of the Institute for Special Botany at the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology The Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology are two institutes of higher education in Switzerland (part of the ETH Domain): * Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Sw ...

from 1927 until his death, he authored over 250 scientific publications, including influential works on fungal

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 plant infections. Gäumann was particularly renowned for his pioneering research on

rust fungi Rusts are fungal plant pathogens of the order Pucciniales (previously known as Uredinales) causing plant fungal diseases. An estimated 168 rust genera and approximately 7,000 species, more than half of which belong to the genus ''Puccinia'', are ...

, fungal toxins, and plant defence mechanisms. His groundbreaking work on

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

-specific toxins and

wilt disease A wilt disease is any number of diseases that affect the vascular system of plants. Attacks by fungi, bacteria, and nematodes can cause rapid killing of plants, large tree branches or even entire trees. Wilt diseases in woody plants tend to fal ...

s established foundational concepts in

phytopathology Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

. For his contributions to science, he received numerous accolades, including the Marcel Benoist Prize,

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

s from several universities, and membership in the

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

Early life and education

Born in

Lyss Lyss () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Seeland (administrative district), Seeland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. On 1 January 2011, the former municip ...

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

, he obtained his early education in

Biel Biel/Bienne (official bilingual wording; German language, German: ''Biel'' ; French language, French: ''Bienne'' ; Bernese German, locally ; ; ; ) is a bilingual city in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. With over 55,000 residents, it is the ...

, experiencing both German and French languages and cultures. Studying with Eduard Fischer at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, Gäumann received his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1917 for his research on ''

Peronospora ''Peronospora'' is a genus of downy mildews that are obligate plant pathogens. They can cause severe damage to many different cultivated crops, as well as wild and ornamental plants. ''Peronospora'' is most closely related to ''Pseudoperonospora' ...

'', a genus of

water mould The Oomycetes (), or Oomycota, form a distinct phylogenetic lineage of fungus-like eukaryotic microorganisms within the Stramenopiles. They are filamentous and heterotrophic, and can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction o ...

Professional career

After travels and studies in Sweden, the United States, and the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

, Gäumann worked as a

plant pathologist Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

Buitenzorg Bogor City (), or Bogor (, ), is a landlocked city in the West Java, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, from 1919 to 1922. He returned to Switzerland, serving as a botanist at the Swiss Agricultural Research Station in Oerlikon, Zurich, from 1922 to 1927. In 1927, he succeeded Carl Schröter as Professor and Director of the Institute for Special Botany at the

, holding this position until his death. At ETH Zürich, Gäumann greatly expanded research facilities, establishing modern laboratories, temperature-controlled environments, greenhouses, libraries, herbaria, and experimental gardens, making the institute a centre for international mycological and plant pathological research. He supervised 82 doctoral theses and authored over 250 scientific publications, collaborating closely with a large team of scientists.

Research contributions and legacy

Gäumann's research interests encompassed

, soil

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

, fungal evolution, and the physiology of plant diseases. In 1926, at age 33, he published ''Vergleichende Morphologie der Pilze'', an influential textbook translated into English and widely regarded as a standard mycological reference. His groundbreaking 1946 book ''Pflanzliche Infektionslehre'' was the first comprehensive modern treatment of plant pathology, translated into English, Polish, Russian, and Chinese. This work significantly advanced theoretical phytopathology, placing it on equal footing with other biological disciplines. He was especially renowned for his detailed studies of rust fungi, publishing the extensive

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

''Die Rostpilze Mitteleuropas'' (1959), which systematically classified European rust fungi based on morphological and

developmental Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosis ...

characteristics. Gäumann emphasised the narrow

species concept A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of classification and ...

in fungal taxonomy, significantly refining rust fungi classification. Gäumann's laboratory conducted pioneering experiments on fungal toxins and plant defence mechanisms. His early research proposed that pathogens produce specific toxins affecting host plants, laying foundational concepts for future studies in host-specific toxins and biological control methods. He studied

s, particularly those caused by ''Fusarium lycopersici'', identifying toxins (e.g., lycomarasmin) responsible for symptoms in plants, influencing future physiological and biochemical phytopathological research. Gäumann was also involved in numerous scientific societies and editorial roles. He edited the ''Berichte der Schweizerischen Botanischen Gesellschaft'' from 1931 until his death and served as co-editor of ''Phytopathologische Zeitschrift'' and ''Fortschritte der Botanik''. He also presided over the Cryptogam Commission of the Swiss Society of Natural Sciences, overseeing extensive studies on Swiss fungi. Throughout his career, Gäumann received numerous accolades, including

s from the Sorbonne (1953), the

University of Bonn The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...

(1956), Montpellier (1959), and Bordeaux (1961). He was awarded the

Marcel Benoist Prize The Marcel Benoist Prize, offered by the Marcel Benoist Foundation, is a monetary prize that has been offered annually since 1920 to a scientist of Swiss nationality or residency who has made the most useful scientific discovery. Emphasis is pl ...

in 1946, appointed a foreign associate of the

in 1955, and received the Otto-Appel Medal from the German Phytopathological Society in 1962. Gäumann's legacy endures through his extensive contributions to mycology and plant pathology, as well as his influential teaching methods and emphasis on integrating cultural awareness and biological principles in education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaumann, Ernst Albert Swiss mycologists 1893 births 1963 deaths University of Bern alumni Academic staff of ETH Zurich People from Lyss