Hertwig, Richard von (1850-1937)

Hertwig, Richard von

ZOOLOGIST (GERMANY)

BORN 23 Sep 1850, Friedberg, Hessen - DIED 3 Oct 1937, Schlederloh, Bayern
BIRTH NAME Hertwig, Richard Wilhelm Karl Theodor Ritter von
GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Waldfriedhof Solln (17-W-1)

Richard von Hertwig studied medicin in Jena but under the influence of Ernst Haeckel he moved his attention to zoology and biology. In 1872 he was promoted in Bonn and there he worked as assistant to anatomist Max Schultze.

In 1875 he moved back to Jena where he worked in the field of zoology. In 1881 he succeeded Franz Toschel as professor for zoology in Königsberg. During the same year he developed the Coelom theory in the field of embryology together with his brother Oskar.

In 1883 he accepted a professorship in zoology in Bonn but in 1885 he moved on to Munich. There he was in charge of the Zoological State Collection until 1925. He was also the director of the Zoological Institute and in 1889 he became a member of the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

His book on zoology was used between 1891 and 1931 for educational purposes. He was knighted in 1910 and in 1917 he was among the founding members of the antisemitical Vaterlandspartei. In 1937 he became a honoury member of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Vererbungswissenschaft.

Images

The grave of Richard von Hertwig at the Waldfriedhof Solln, Munich.
Picture by Androom (19 Aug 2012)