50 PEOCEEDIXGS OF THE 



nature of liis works, his influence will live and extend, tliougli 

 the master tand has been withdrawn. 



In 1896, on his retirement from professorial work, Claus was 

 awarded the Austrian Crof-s of the Knight Order of Leopold, 

 He was a Member of several Academies and Scientific Bodies, and 

 in 1893 was elected a Foreign Member of the Linnean Society. 



Feedtnatsd JrLiTJS CoHN, Professor of Botany in the TJmver- 

 siiy of Breslau, was born in that town 24Lh January, 1828, and 

 passed through the University, which he entered at the age 

 f.f 16, and studied also at Berlin. In 1856 he became Privat- 

 Docent at Breslau ; in 1859 nominated Extraordinary Professor, 

 he became full Professor in 1872. Here he remained till his 

 death, 25th June. 1898 : thus his whole life, with a short excep- 

 tion, was passed in his native Silesian capital. His first publi- 

 cation was his dissertation ' Synibola ad Seminis physiologiam,' 

 Berlin, 1847, in his twentieth year. Before very long he applied 

 himself to the study of the lowly forms of plant-life, Al^^ae and 

 Pungi. The results of his researches into tlie life-history 

 and development of Vohoa-, Sj)h<¥)^opha, Filohohis, Empusa., are 

 known to all. We may mention his ' Die Entwicklungsgeschichte 

 des Pilohohis cri/staUinus,' Breslau, 1851; ' Untersuchungen 

 iiber die Entwicklungsgeschichte der mikroskopischen Algen und 

 Pilze,' Bonn, 1854 ; ' Ueber Empusa musccs' the same place and 

 year. He was an early worker on Bacteria, and his Laboratory 

 may be regarded as a starting-point of- medical bacteriology ; 

 and his ' Beitrage zur Biologie der Pflanzen,' mentioned below, 

 is a storehouse of historical da' a of early investigation on this 

 important subject. Eobert Koch was in scientific communication 

 with Cohn, aud received from the latter valued and efficient 

 backing in the disputes agauist the views of JSageli, Buchner, 

 andHallier; for Cohn adhered obstinately to his opinion that 

 Bacteiia were constant species. 



His laboratory for the study of plant-physiology was estab- 

 lished in 1866, and has given rise to a widely dispersed school 

 or band of workers. His repute as professor caused his popular 

 ' Die Pflanze ' to have an extensive circulation, the second edition 

 having been issued in 1896-97. He was the most popular lecturer 

 on the staff of his University ; whilst the solidity of his work 

 and its high value were appreciated by this Society, in electing 

 him a Foreign Member, 6th May, 1876, and awarding him the 

 Linnean Medal in 1895. 



Prom 1856 he was in charge of the botanic section of the 

 ' Schlesische Gesellschaft fiir Yaterlandische-Kultur ' ; and it 

 was at his instigation and under his guidance that a cryptogamic 

 section vtas started. It was iu connection with this Society 

 that he edited the ' Kryptogamen-Plora von Schlesien,' which 

 came out 1876-94, furmmg three octavo volumes. 



Another important work which he carried on was his ' Beitrage 



