Reinhard Walter Kaplan

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reinhard Walter Kaplan (* 1912 in Glauchau ; † May 16, 2003 ) was a German microbiologist .

life and work

Kaplan studied botany, zoology, chemistry and geology at the University of Leipzig. Here he first obtained a teaching degree and then a doctorate.

In 1937 he went to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Breeding Research in Müncheberg . Here he dealt with the topic of mutation induction by X-rays . Among other things, he examined mutations in barley. From 1940 to 1945 he did military service. Already during this time he developed the idea of ​​using bacteria as research objects for mutation genetics because of the shorter generation sequence. After taking over the mutation research department at the MPI for Breeding Research in Voldagsen , he introduced the bacterium Serratia marcescens to his research object and “domestic animal”. After a two-year research stay with Francis J. Ryan (1916–1963) at Columbia University in New York, Kaplan accepted an appointment in 1955 to the newly established chair for microbiology at the University of Frankfurt / Main . Here he first built up teaching in general microbiology and in the field of microbial genetics . On the basis of the expertise from his radiation research, Kaplan was appointed to the Federal Government's Radiation Protection Commission in order to participate in the drafting of the Radiation Protection Act. He also became a member of the commission for testing environmental chemicals for mutagenicity at the DFG .

In the mid-1960s, Kaplan was stimulated by the current research in molecular genetics and molecular biology to consider the origin of life on the early earth. These considerations were reflected in his widely acclaimed work “The Origin of Life”, published in two editions. "In his irregularly recurring lecture" Biology and Worldview "Kaplan tried to shed light on the position of man in the overall structure of nature." In such contexts, he also commented on topics such as "Peacekeeping, which was very important to him as an active participant in the war ]. ”In 1977 Reinhard W. Kaplan retired from the University of Frankfurt. Reinhard Walter Kaplan died on May 16, 2003 at the age of 90.

Works by RW Kaplan

  • About the formation of the stele from the original meristem of pteridophytes and spermatophytes, Würzburg 1937 (dissertation)
  • The origin of life - biogenetics, a research area of ​​today's natural science, dtv 1972 and Thieme 1988.

swell

  • Helmut Steiger: Reinhard Walter Kaplan in memory. In: biospektrum.de. BIOspektrum · Special Edition · 9. Volume, 2003, archived from the original on May 15, 2020 ; accessed on May 15, 2020 .
  • Horst-Dieter Mennigmann: Reinhard Walter Kaplan - obituary . In: University Library Johann Christian Senckenberg (Ed.): Uni-Report / Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt . tape 36 , no. 5 . Frankfurt / Main 2003, p. 21 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Horst-Dieter Mennigmann: Reinhard Walter Kaplan.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Helmut Steiger: Reinhard Walter Kaplan.
personal data
SURNAME Kaplan, Reinhard Walter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German microbiologist
DATE OF BIRTH 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Glauchau
DATE OF DEATH May 16, 2003