Communications of the , .International Institute of Embryology 

 (Section of Developmental Biology ol the I.U.B.S.) 



The I. I.E. announces with great regret the death of its fellow A. J. P. van 

 den Broek (February 1961) and of its member T. Perri (October 1960). 



The Symposium to be held in September 1964 in the U.S.A. will deal with 

 aspects of organogenesis. A full program will be published later. 



This year it is 50 years since the I. I.E. was founded. The last General 

 Assembly asked the undersigned to prepare a short survey of the history of 

 the I. I.E. This survey follows below. 



"L'INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL D'EMBRYOLOGIE" 

 (1911—1961) 



On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the I. I.E. it seems desirable to 

 present a short survey of the history of this Institution in the course of 

 half a century. This history acquires a wider perspective against the back- 

 ground of the development of the science of embryology, a background which 

 may enable one to judge to what extent the I. I.E. has fulfilled its purposes 

 till the present day, and in what respects its present form of organisation and 

 its activities can be better adapted to its aims for the future. 



The initiative for the foundation of the "Institut International d'Embryolo- 

 gie" was due to the embryologists A. A. W. Hubrecht, A. Keibel, and 

 R. Assheton; the actual foundation took place in Utrecht, at the Zoolog- 

 ical Institute, on the 4th of June, 1911. The I.I.E. was founded as an inter- 

 national, private and purely scientific organisation, which, as a consequence 

 of the special interests of its founders, was originally devoted exclusively to 

 the study of comparative embryology of the vertebrates, and more particularly 

 of those mammals which, owing to the increase and expansion of the human 

 population, were in danger of soon becoming extinct. Moreover, the I.I.E. 

 intended to create international relations between workers in this field, and 

 to facilitate the scientific work of its members by making provision for the 

 admission of non-scientific corresponding members, who could render 

 their help in supplying the necessary embryonic material 1 ). Finally, the 

 I.I.E. intended to collect funds for the establishment of orderly collections of 

 embryonic material, again of rare mammalian species in particular; collections 

 which were to be brought together in international centres, where they would 

 be at the disposal of all qualified embryologists. 



According to its original statutes the I.I.E. consisted of honorary members, 

 ordinary members, supporting members and corresponding members. The num- 

 ber of honorary members was restricted to 20, that of ordinary members to 

 40; at the initial meeting in Utrecht 18 honorary members and 40 ordinary 

 members were nominated. 



M It must be admitted that this objective was a rather opportunistic one. 



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