Anton Dohrn

Felix Anton Dohrn, ( September 29, 1840 - September 26, 1909) was a prominent Darwinist, and the founder and first director of the Stazione Zoologica, Naples, Italy.,

Introduction to Darwinism

His ideas changed in summer 1862 when he returned to study at Jena, where Ernst Haeckel introduced him to Darwin's work and theories. Dohrn became a fervent defender of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection.

Related Topics:
Jena - Ernst Haeckel - Darwin - Theories

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At that time comparative embryology was the keystone of morphological evolutionary studies, based on Haeckel's recapitulation theory, the idea that an organism during its embryonic development passes through the major stages of the evolutionary past of its species. Morphology became one of the major ways in which zoologists sought to expand and develop Darwinian theory in the latter years of the 19th century. Dohrn chose to become a "Darwinian morphologist".

Related Topics:
Comparative embryology - Recapitulation theory - Organism - Embryonic - Species - 19th century

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Dorhn received his doctorate in 1865 at Breslau, and his Habilitation in 1868 at Jena. During these times, he worked several times at facilities located on by the sea: Helgoland alongside Haeckel in 1865, Hamburg in 1866, Millport, Scotland with David Robertson in 1867 and 1868 and moved to Messina, Italy, during the winter of 1868 together with his Russian friend and colleague Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai.

Related Topics:
Doctorate - Breslau - Habilitation - Helgoland - Hamburg - Millport - Scotland - David Robertson - Messina - Italy - Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai

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