Oskar Kuhn
Encyclopedia
Oskar Kuhn was a German
palaeontologist.
and Bamberg
and then studied natural science, specialising in geology and paleontology, at the University of Munich, from which he received his D. Phil. in 1932.
He worked in the University of Munich Geological Institute, among other things on the Fossilium Catalogus (Catalogue of Fossils), and then in 1938 on a stipend from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
, moved to the University of Halle, where he worked on the Geiseltal
fossils. In 1939 he achieved his Habilitation
with a thesis on the Halberstadt Keuper
fauna, and in 1940 was named Privatdozent
in geology and paleontology.
Informed by his Catholic religion, Kuhn was an exponent of idealistic morphology: he viewed evolution as operating only within predetermined morphological classes. In 1943 he declared, "The theory of descent has collapsed." After a political conflict with his mentor, Johannes Weigelt, over evolution, Kuhn's teaching certification was withdrawn (in an act known as "remotion") in November 1941. He had to leave Halle and was immediately called up for wartime service in the Wehrmacht
. In February 1942 he was released because of lung disease. (He had been a member of the SA
from 1933 to 1936 but left for health reasons.)
In 1947 he became professor extraordinarius at the University of Bamberg, but left after a short time.
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...
palaeontologist.
Life and career
Kuhn was educated in DinkelsbühlDinkelsbühl
Dinkelsbühl is a historic city in Bavaria, Germany and a former Free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. Now it belongs to the district of Ansbach, north of Aalen.-History:...
and Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
and then studied natural science, specialising in geology and paleontology, at the University of Munich, from which he received his D. Phil. in 1932.
He worked in the University of Munich Geological Institute, among other things on the Fossilium Catalogus (Catalogue of Fossils), and then in 1938 on a stipend from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
, moved to the University of Halle, where he worked on the Geiseltal
Geiseltal
The Geisel valley is a valley in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, situated west of Merseburg, Saalekreis district. It is named after the River Geisel which rises in Mücheln and is a tributary of the Saale, just under 25 km long....
fossils. In 1939 he achieved his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
with a thesis on the Halberstadt Keuper
Keuper
The Keuper is a lithostratigraphic unit in the subsurface of large parts of west and central Europe. The Keuper consists of dolostone, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late Triassic epochs...
fauna, and in 1940 was named Privatdozent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
in geology and paleontology.
Informed by his Catholic religion, Kuhn was an exponent of idealistic morphology: he viewed evolution as operating only within predetermined morphological classes. In 1943 he declared, "The theory of descent has collapsed." After a political conflict with his mentor, Johannes Weigelt, over evolution, Kuhn's teaching certification was withdrawn (in an act known as "remotion") in November 1941. He had to leave Halle and was immediately called up for wartime service in the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. In February 1942 he was released because of lung disease. (He had been a member of the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
from 1933 to 1936 but left for health reasons.)
In 1947 he became professor extraordinarius at the University of Bamberg, but left after a short time.
Selected works
- Paläozoologie in Tabellen. (1940)
- Lehrbuch der Paläozoologie. (Textbook of Paleontology) (1949)
- Die Deszendenztheorie: Grundlegung der Ganzheitsbiologie. (1951)
- Lebensbilder und Evolution fossiler Saurier, Amphibien und Reptilien. (1961) (with Hartmut Haubold)
- Die Vorzeitlichen Wirbellosen. System und Evolution. (1966)
- Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie - Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology. Stuttgart, New York: G. Fischer, 1978- . ISBN 3-89937-007-4. OCLC.