234 Alexander Petrunkevitch, Ph.D., 



Of his numerous students the best known are BataUn, Borodin^ 

 Baranetzky, Ivanovsky and Timiryaseff. Alexander Fedoritch 

 Batalin (born in 1847) pubHshed many investigations in cereals 

 and other useful plants. But the work which attracted most 

 attention was "On the Influence of Light on the Form in Plants" 

 (1872) and "The Mechanics of ^Movement in Insectivorous 

 Plants," mentioned by Charles Darwin in his books on the sub- 

 ject. Ivan Petrovitch Borodin (born in 1847) made investiga- 

 tions in the anatomy of plants, especially of their leaves, published 

 in 1888 a well known "Course in Anatomy of Plants," studied 

 the process of breathing, the formation and distribution of crys- 

 tals in plants, etc. 



Clementi Arcadievitch Timiriazefif, born in 1843, is known by 

 his studies of the chlorophyll. He discovered protophylline, a 

 compound distinct from etioline and derived from the chloro- 

 phylline through reduction. Under the influence of light and 

 air the oxydized protophylline becomes again chlorophylline. 

 The absorption band of the protophylline being in the orange rays, 

 Timiriaseff concluded that the orange rays are mostly responsible 

 for the green color in plants, a conclusion which later found con- 

 firmation in the experiments of the German scientist Reincke. 

 But Timiriaseff's fame rests chiefly on his ability as teacher, lec- 

 turer and populariser. His book "The Life of the Plant" was 

 pubHshed in several editions and has been translated into German. 

 For many years he was professor of plant anatomy and physi- 

 ology at the University of Moscow, beloved and admired by his 

 students. A staunch supporter of Darwin he published a book 

 in 1863 on "Darwin and His Theory" which has since seen many 

 editions. He was violently opposed to Weismann's theories of 

 heredity and I remember him attacking" Weismann in his lectures 

 with all the vigour of his eloquence. His works found him 

 recognition on the part of the Royal Society which elected him 

 Fellow. 



Wladimir Palladin, born in 1859, is another of the well known 

 contemporary Russian botanists of the older generation. He 

 worked in anatomy and physiological chemistry of plants. His 

 books "Plant Anatomy" and "Plant Physiology" are used as 

 textbooks in all Russian universities and have seen several edi- 

 tions. Many of his investigations have for their subject metab- 

 olism in plants. 



