Eduard Strasburger
Encyclopedia
Eduard Adolf Strasburger (1 February 1844, Warsaw
, Congress Poland
– 18 May 1912, Bonn
, Imperial Germany) was a German
professor who was one of the most famous botanists of the 19th century.
He was born in Warsaw
, Poland
, son of Eduard Gottlieb Bogumil Strasburger (1803–1874). In 1870 he married Aleksandra Julie Wertheim (1847–1902), and had two children: Anna (b.1870) and Julius (1871–1934).
Strasburger studied natural sciences in Paris
, Bonn and Jena
, receiving a PhD in 1866 after working with Nathanael Pringsheim
. In 1868 he taught at the University of Warsaw
. In 1869 he was appointed professor of botany
at the University of Jena. Since 1881 he was head of the Botanisches Institut at the University of Bonn
.
In botany, his autorial abbreviation is Strasb.
: "New cell nuclei can only arise from the division of other nuclei." and originated the terms cytoplasm
and nucleoplasm
.
Together with Walther Flemming
, and Edouard van Beneden
he elucidated chromosome distribution during cell division. His work on the upward movement of tree sap proved that the process was physical and not physiological.
's prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal
in 1908.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
– 18 May 1912, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Imperial Germany) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
professor who was one of the most famous botanists of the 19th century.
He was born in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, son of Eduard Gottlieb Bogumil Strasburger (1803–1874). In 1870 he married Aleksandra Julie Wertheim (1847–1902), and had two children: Anna (b.1870) and Julius (1871–1934).
Strasburger studied natural sciences in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Bonn and Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, receiving a PhD in 1866 after working with Nathanael Pringsheim
Nathanael Pringsheim
Nathanael Pringsheim was a German botanist.-Biography:Nathanael Pringsheim was born at Landsberg, Prussian Silesia, and studied at the universities of Breslau, Leipzig, and Berlin successively...
. In 1868 he taught at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
. In 1869 he was appointed professor of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at the University of Jena. Since 1881 he was head of the Botanisches Institut at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
.
In botany, his autorial abbreviation is Strasb.
Accomplishments
Strasburger was a founder of the famous Lehrbuch der Botanik für Hochschulen (Textbook of Botany), which first appeared in 1894. He was the first to provide an accurate description of the embryonic sac in gymnosperms (such as conifers) and angiosperms (flowering plants), along with demonstrating double-fertilization in angiosperms. He came up with one of the modern laws of plant cytologyCell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
: "New cell nuclei can only arise from the division of other nuclei." and originated the terms cytoplasm
Cytoplasm
The cytoplasm is a small gel-like substance residing between the cell membrane holding all the cell's internal sub-structures , except for the nucleus. All the contents of the cells of prokaryote organisms are contained within the cytoplasm...
and nucleoplasm
Nucleoplasm
Similar to the cytoplasm of a cell, the nucleus contains nucleoplasm or karyoplasm. The nucleoplasm is one of the types of protoplasm, and it is enveloped by the nuclear membrane or nuclear envelope. The nucleoplasm is a highly viscous liquid that surrounds the chromosomes and nucleoli...
.
Together with Walther Flemming
Walther Flemming
Walther Flemming was a German biologist and a founder of cytogenetics.He was born in Sachsenberg near Schwerin as the fifth child and only son of the psychiatrist Carl Friedrich Flemming and his second wife, Auguste Winter...
, and Edouard van Beneden
Edouard Van Beneden
Edouard Joseph Marie Van Beneden , son of Pierre-Joseph Van Beneden, was a Belgian embryologist, cytologist and marine biologist. He was professor of zoology at the University of Liège. He contributed to cytogenetics by his works on the roundworm Ascaris...
he elucidated chromosome distribution during cell division. His work on the upward movement of tree sap proved that the process was physical and not physiological.
Awards
He was awarded the Linnean Society of LondonLinnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
's prestigious Darwin-Wallace Medal
Darwin-Wallace Medal
The Darwin–Wallace Medal is a medal awarded by the Linnean Society of London for "major advances in evolutionary biology". Historically, the medals have been awarded every 50 years, beginning in 1908...
in 1908.