Christiane Groeben
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780226672762
- eISBN:
- 9780226673097
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226673097.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
The German zoologist Anton Dohrn (1840-1909) belonged to the beach to bench generation. He had absorbed and experienced the discomfort of his teacher’s (Ernst Haeckel) generation in getting research ...
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The German zoologist Anton Dohrn (1840-1909) belonged to the beach to bench generation. He had absorbed and experienced the discomfort of his teacher’s (Ernst Haeckel) generation in getting research material from the beach to the bench. Seven years after Dohrn’s first contact with marine fauna at Helgoland (1865) the foundations of a zoological station were laid in Naples (1872). An unusual variety of personal and academic experiences and encounters, of inspirations, roadblocks and opportunities helped Dohrn to shape his initial idea of a modest research facility open to travelling scientists in Messina into a solid research infrastructure in Naples-soon recognized as a model of its kind. The interaction of scientific, personal and cultural factors usually made a research stay at the Naples Station a very special experience for scientists coming from many national, scientific and cultural backgrounds. The abundance of live research material and the improvement of research methods were two essential requirements for finding convincing answers about biodiversity and the origin and processes of life. Hence, the need to be close to the sea and to rely on a host such as Anton Dohrn capable to make the institution function like an independent organism.Less
The German zoologist Anton Dohrn (1840-1909) belonged to the beach to bench generation. He had absorbed and experienced the discomfort of his teacher’s (Ernst Haeckel) generation in getting research material from the beach to the bench. Seven years after Dohrn’s first contact with marine fauna at Helgoland (1865) the foundations of a zoological station were laid in Naples (1872). An unusual variety of personal and academic experiences and encounters, of inspirations, roadblocks and opportunities helped Dohrn to shape his initial idea of a modest research facility open to travelling scientists in Messina into a solid research infrastructure in Naples-soon recognized as a model of its kind. The interaction of scientific, personal and cultural factors usually made a research stay at the Naples Station a very special experience for scientists coming from many national, scientific and cultural backgrounds. The abundance of live research material and the improvement of research methods were two essential requirements for finding convincing answers about biodiversity and the origin and processes of life. Hence, the need to be close to the sea and to rely on a host such as Anton Dohrn capable to make the institution function like an independent organism.
Raf de Bont
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226141879
- eISBN:
- 9780226141909
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226141909.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter studies the work performed in one of the biggest, best-equipped, and most influential biological stations of the late-nineteenth century: the Stazione Zoologica in Naples, founded by the ...
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This chapter studies the work performed in one of the biggest, best-equipped, and most influential biological stations of the late-nineteenth century: the Stazione Zoologica in Naples, founded by the German zoologist Anton Dohrn. This iconic station, which combined a public aquarium with research facilities, has been rightfully celebrated for its ground-breaking laboratory work in evolutionary morphology and physiology. In his original program, however, Dohrn also included studies on the interaction of sea creatures with each other and their natural habitat. This chapter explores this (often overlooked) aspect of his program and the ways through which Dohrn tried to realize it. The chapter, furthermore, describes how the spatial and social make-up of the station eventually hindered the translation of Dohrn’s plans into concrete practice.Less
This chapter studies the work performed in one of the biggest, best-equipped, and most influential biological stations of the late-nineteenth century: the Stazione Zoologica in Naples, founded by the German zoologist Anton Dohrn. This iconic station, which combined a public aquarium with research facilities, has been rightfully celebrated for its ground-breaking laboratory work in evolutionary morphology and physiology. In his original program, however, Dohrn also included studies on the interaction of sea creatures with each other and their natural habitat. This chapter explores this (often overlooked) aspect of his program and the ways through which Dohrn tried to realize it. The chapter, furthermore, describes how the spatial and social make-up of the station eventually hindered the translation of Dohrn’s plans into concrete practice.
