Ludwig Freund (zoologist)

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Ludwig Freund (born June 19, 1878 in Postoloprty , Bohemia , † November 5, 1953 in Halle (Saale) ) was an Austrian zoologist .

Life

The son of a glazier first attended a primary school in Prague , then a German state high school. After graduating in 1896, he studied medicine , natural sciences and philosophy at the University of Prague . In 1898 he was hired as an assistant at the Institute for Zoology, and in 1901 he was awarded a doctorate in philosophy. obtained his doctorate and moved to the veterinary institute in 1904.

After completing his habilitation in zoology in 1909, Freund became head of the institute as a substitute for Hermann Dexler (1866–1931) during the First World War . In 1923 he was finally appointed professor . In 1931, after Dexler's death, he was appointed head of the Institute for Veterinary Medicine and an extraordinary professorship. Two years later he finally became a regular associate professor at the Zoological Institute. He was supposed to become director there, but this was prevented because of his Jewish origins. In 1939 he was therefore on leave.

In 1940 Freund had to give up his professorship and institute directorate because his ancestors were Jewish. He also had to give up his library and scientific collections. In 1943 he was imprisoned in a Prague police prison for four weeks, although he had previously shown himself apolitical.

In 1945, Freund was finally taken to the Theresienstadt concentration camp . He was released on May 16 after nine weeks of imprisonment, but could not resume his work at Prague University because he was German and had worked at German institutions

In the period that followed there were long negotiations; In 1948, Freund was hired as a full professor and director of the zoology institute at the University of Halle . However, as the SMAD initially forbade him to enter the country because of his Jewish descent, he was only able to start work in autumn of the following year, initially as a visiting professor. In 1950 he received the full chair of zoology, which had been orphaned for five years.

In Halle, where Freund felt well received, he tried to reorganize the institute by separating museum, research and teaching operations. He built a new lecture hall and two new course rooms. He also worked in the GDR in science, so he was a biological advisory board member in the State Secretariat for higher education and technical schools.

Freund argued with the SED about how to organize the course. He called for greater freedoms for students. As a result of these political attitudes, he did not receive a visa to travel to Prague, which is why he gave up his offices alongside the professorship and director in 1952. Freund died of lung cancer the next year , reaching the age of 75. In 1953 Freund was elected a member of the Leopoldina . In 1998 he became an honorary citizen of the city of Postelberg.

Act

In his research, Freund dealt with the comparative anatomy of vertebrates, especially fish, and mainly with practical biology. He also edited the magazine for animal breeding with others , he published articles on parasite science , especially worms and lice, for example.

Freund's work at the Halle Zoological Institute ended a phase after the Second World War in which the institute lacked competent but denazified applicants.

Works

  • The osteology of the halicore fin ( dissertation 1901)
  • Contributions to the history of the development of the skull of Halicore dugong (habilitation thesis 1908)
  • The Parasites, Parasitic, and Other Diseases of Fur Animals , 1930

literature

  • Konrad Herter: Encounters with people and animals: memories e. Zoologen 1891-1978 , 1979, pp. 314 f., Online

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Freund, Jan Ludwig, Chronicle of the Jews in Sitzendorf an der Schmida and in Postelberg , Samizdat Verlag, Mainz 2002, p. 176.
personal data
SURNAME Friend, Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian zoologist
DATE OF BIRTH June 19, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Postoloprty
DATE OF DEATH 5th November 1953
Place of death Halle (Saale)