Friedrich Wettstein, Ritter von Westersheim (24 June 1895 in Prague – 12 February 1945 in Trins, Tirol) was an Austrian botanist.

Fritz von Wettstein
Born
Friedrich Wettstein, Ritter von Westersheim

(1896-06-24)June 24, 1896
DiedFebruary 12, 1945(1945-02-12) (aged 49)
NationalityAustrian
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsUniversity of Göttingen
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Academic career edit

Fritz Wettstein was the son of Richard Wettstein. From 1925 he was professor at Göttingen, in 1931 in Munich and in 1934 director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology in Berlin-Dahlem.

Wettstein made a major contribution to botanical and genetical science. He worked especially on cytoplasmic inheritance in mosses and fireweed. Following Erwin Baur at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut, Berlin-Dahlem, he investigated hybrids and polyploids of mosses, and advanced the understanding of the relationships and characteristics of polyploid forms.[1]

Political implications edit

Wettstein has been criticised because at international scientific conferences before the war he defended National Socialist racial ideas.[2]

Works edit

  • Morphologie und Physiologie des Formwechsels der Moose auf genetischer Grundlage (1924)
  • Über plasmatische Vererbung sowie Plasma-und Genwirkung (1930)
  • Genetik (1932)
  • Karl von Goebel (1933)

References edit

  1. ^ "Obituary: Prof. F. von Wettstein". Nature. 156: 328. September 1945. doi:10.1038/156328c0.
  2. ^ Research Program: History of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in the National Socialist Era (PDF file, 320 kB)
  3. ^ International Plant Names Index.  F.Wettst.