THE CZECHOSLOVAK ENTOMOLOGY AND PERSPECTIVES 

 OF ITS DEVELOPMENT 



Dr. VLADIMIR LAN DA, Scientific Secretary of the Entomological 

 Laboratory of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Praha. 



The development of the Czechoslovak entomology was initiated at the end 

 of the last century. It was connected with the progress of the national liberation 

 movement manifested in the whole public life including natural sciences. 

 Entomology had already several experienced workers as F. Klapalek, L. Duda, 

 J. Uzel, K. Sulc etc. In 1904 the Czech entomological society was founded 

 under the leadership of the chairman Professor F. Klapalek. Its members 

 coming from various occupations were encouraged to study the insect faunistic 

 and systematics of different groups. The Society published „Casopis ceské spo- 

 lecnosti entomologicke" and many handbooks. In the University institutes the 

 students began to study problems of general entomology, such as microscopical 

 anatomy, histology etc. Even if this could not be a serious systematic study 

 the луогк considerably influenced the further development of entomology. 

 When the first луогк! луаг was finished the new Czechoslovak Re^Jublic was 

 established and sciences including entomology began to develop very quickly. 

 In 1920 the zoological department of the National Museum was founded 

 headed by Professor Obenberger, where large collections were concetrated. 

 The Colleges of agriculture and forestry were concerned with entomology 

 within the scope of their teaching programme. Between the two world wars 

 significant papers Avere published by Komarek, Obenberger, Sulc, Roubal, 

 Pfeffer, Kratochvil, Blatthy, Rambousek, Mafan and others. 



After the second world луаг, namely after 1948 supported bj^ the People's 

 Democratic government, conditions Avere very favourable for the development 

 of Entomology. The Entomological laboratory of the Czechoslovak Academy 

 of Sciences, entomological laboratories of the Biological Institute such as the 

 department of insect pathology and parasitological department working 

 in medical entomology, and other laboratories of the Czechoslovak Academy 

 of Agricultural Sciences were founded. The entomological department of the 

 National Museum is enlarged. Other departments at the University, Poly- 

 technical School and those of various Ministries are founded or grow several 

 times larger than in the pre-Avar time. 



The growth is most evident in the number of scientific workers. In the first 

 Republic there were 2 — 3 scientists permanently working in entomology 

 and about 15 zoologists and phytopathologists working in entomology occasion- 

 ally, beside their normal work. At present, there are 85 scientific workers 



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