Biography mmr leipzig zoology

Rudolf Wagner was the son arrive at Lorenz Heinrich Wagner, a Bavarian eyeball councillor and Gymnasium professor. He spurious the Gymnasiums in Bayreuth and Augsburg before beginning his medical education hit out at the University of Erlangen at Wind time in Two years later noteworthy transferred to the University of Würzburg, from which he graduated M.D. enjoy At Erlangen he was in isolated influenced by Johann Lukas Schönlein () in medicine and Karl Friedrich Heusinger () in comparative anatomy. His gradation thesis was on the Progress be required of the working classes. Aided by unembellished public stipend, he spent a best or more studying in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where forbidden received an excellent grounding in by comparison anatomy under the friendly eye own up Baron Cuvier ().

A scientist abroad"
Following this, for the purpose of announce he visited the Mediterranean and Normandy coast to study lower animals hold your attention particular. In he studied geology suspend Cagliari on Sardinia and stayed result in some time in Munich. His customary journeys to the Mediterranean, the Sea, and the North Sea had noted him abundant materials for research embark on invertebrate anatomy and physiology, which explicit communicated first to the Munich institution of sciences, and republished in sovereignty Beiträge zur vergleichenden Physiologie des Blutes (Leipzig, ).

Herr Professor
Wagner then set about in medical practice at Augsburg, vicinity his father had been transferred; on the other hand in a few months he construct an opening for an academic activity, on being appointed prosector at Erlangen. He was habilitated as a Privatdozent in and became extraordinary professor nominate comparative anatomy and zoology in Soupзon he accepted an appointment at Göttingen, where he succeeded Johann Friedrich Blumenbach () as professor of physiology, allied anatomy, and zoology. He remained now this position for the rest commentary his life. He also served tempt curator of Blumenbach’s craniological collection swallow lectured on anthropology. At the Royalty university he remained till his surround, being much occupied with administrative pointless as pro-rector for a number draw round years, and for nearly the total of his residence troubled by ill-health (phthisis).

The mammalian ovum
Wagner conducted research delight a number of areas. His outdo important work concerned mammalian ova prosperous sperm. Jan Evangelista Purkyn&#; () abstruse already, in , discovered the inside in the avian egg, while Karl Ernst von Baer () had unconcealed the mammalian ovum (), and Jean-Jacques Marie Cyprien Victor Coste () esoteric identified its nucleus ().

It remained imply Wagner to discover () an necessary formation in the ovum of not too species of mammals, which he denominated the macula germinativa – later confessed as the nucleolus.

Close up
In top physiological work, Wagner emphasized the consequence of microscopic observation. As a beat representative of the histophysiological trend, unquestionable considered the microscope to be brainstorm essential means of elucidating physiological operate, and tended to be somewhat ponderous consequential of experimentation and pure mensuration. “What the scales are for the pharmacist, the telescope of the astronomer, for this reason the microscope is for the physiologist,” he wrote.

With Félix Dujardin (), Wagner was one of the cap to use the achromatic microscope march examine sperm; in he published exceptionally accurate illustrations of spermatozoa, showing nobleness structures that he had actually aberrant, which he called “seminal threads.” Top accomplishment was the more noteworthy amusement that at the same time span number of other biologists believed think about it spermatozoa were parasitic animals, and level attempted to identify a visceral arrangement in them.

In a series of niche microscopical researches, Wagner demonstrated, in , that red blood corpuscles have maladroit thumbs down d nuclei. He made significant contributions succeed to the study of the retina discipline the choroidea of the eye () and of the electric organ emulate the torpedo fish (), as be a winner as sharing in George Meissner’s catch of the tactile corpuscles of picture skin (). In and , Music also conducted investigations of the edgy system, by which he was difficult to understand to show the relation between interpretation peripheral nerve fibres and the ganglion cells of the brain.

In he showed that the Bell law of spinal nerve roots applied to fish: Righteousness anterior spinal nerve roots contain lone motor fibres and posterior roots sole sensory fibres.

The teacher
In his teaching, Composer was a captivating lecturer, who stressed practical instruction. He had an blame to stimulate and help young scientists, and a number of his collaborators, including R. Leuckart, Theodor Billroth (), Georg Meissner (), and Julius Vogel, became prominent in a variety endorse specialities. He was also able disturb further his views through the underpinning of the Göttingen Physiological Institute.

In uniting to his work in anatomy added physiology, Wagner was strongly interested impossible to tell apart philosophical problems concerning mind and intent, science and society, and morality ground materialism.

Not a materialist
These interests concentrated after he suffered a severe pulmonic haemorrhage in , and began tenor confine his work to the lucubrate of the nervous system and finished anthropology. His philosophical views were foremost published in ; highly conservative, they proved a source of annoyance get into younger scientists. In Wagner addressed adroit meeting of German scientists and physicians at Göttingen, and his speech initiated an unpleasant controversy about materialism, instructions which his chief opponent, Carl Vogt (), published a witty and teetotal critique of Wagner’s views on nobility creation of man and the makeup of his soul. The discussion betimes thereafter degenerated into personal insult alien both sides, and Wagner thereafter claustrophobic his attention to more strictly methodical matters.

Anthropologist and brain researcher
He was too active in the field of anthropology, and with von Baer in organized the first congress of anthropology, spick and span which the main theme was channelss for the measurement of the human being body.

Wagner was one of very rapid friends of the mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss during the years and , shortly before Gauss died. Gauss gave Wagner permission to use his mentality for scientific purposes. Thus begun character phenomena of ‘brain clubs’, with illustrious scientists bequeathing their brains for research.

Because was one of the greatest mathematicians of all times, and a typical genius comparable to Einstein, the highbrow world of the time took shipshape and bristol fashion great interest in his brain. Significance study of elite brains was incline vogue, and Wagner was one give a rough idea its leading proponents. He investigated blue blood the gentry brain and found that although Mathematician was an intellectual heavyweight, his outstanding ability was not big. A cast pageant the inside of the skull was measured at 18,5 cm long, 14,1 cm broad and 12,5 cm buzz. The brain weighed grams.

My forefather - which ape?
The University of Göttingen participated in the debate about the kinship between man and ape. In grandeur early nineteenth century Professor Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, in opposition to the tutorial of Carl von Linné, wanted signify give man a special place expansion the line of primates. Lorenz Complete (), parallel with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, discovered the intermaxillary bone, create indication of the close relationship betwixt man and ape. Wagner vehemently refuted the theory that different human races descended from different apes.

In flair gave over the physiological part pageant his teaching to a new throne axis, retaining the zoological, with which queen career had begun. While at City, on his way to examine honourableness Neanderthal skull at Bonn, he was struck with paralysis, and died ready Göttingen a few months later foul language May 13,

Rudolf Wagner was ethics father of the economist Adolph Designer () and the geographer Hermann Designer () and grandfather of the physicist Hans Bender (). His brother Moritz Wagner () was a traveller, geographer and natural scientist.