Gregor Mendel (1822-1884)
Johann Mendel was born
20 July 1822 in Heinzendorf, Silesia, at the time a part of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He entered the Augustinian Abbey
of St. Thomas in Brünn (now Brno in the Czech Republic) in
1843, where he took the religious name Gregor, and was ordained
as a priest in 1847. He studied science at the University of
Vienna, and although he failed to pass his final examinations,
was nonetheless allowed to return to the abbey, where he
taught high school physics. His students universally
praised his qualities as a teacher.
Mendel performed breeding experiments with bees, mice, and plants. The results of his research on peas were presented publicly and published as "Experiments on Plant Hybridization", in 1866 in the Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Brno, a well-known scientific journal. His work made no impact, and remained essentially unknown until its simultaneous re-discovery in 1900 by three independent workers, one of whom had duplicated his experimental results. Mendel is now recognized as the "Father of Genetics."
Mendel was elected Abbot in 1868, at which time his experimental work was sharply curtailed. He died on 06 January 1884 from a chronic kidney condition, exacerbated by the burden of his administrative duties.
Mendel performed breeding experiments with bees, mice, and plants. The results of his research on peas were presented publicly and published as "Experiments on Plant Hybridization", in 1866 in the Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Brno, a well-known scientific journal. His work made no impact, and remained essentially unknown until its simultaneous re-discovery in 1900 by three independent workers, one of whom had duplicated his experimental results. Mendel is now recognized as the "Father of Genetics."
Mendel was elected Abbot in 1868, at which time his experimental work was sharply curtailed. He died on 06 January 1884 from a chronic kidney condition, exacerbated by the burden of his administrative duties.