THE UNGERIAN PERIOD 33 



This period saw the early attempts of scientists to 

 assemble and organize the scattered and apparently 

 unrelated facts and phenomena of disease in plants. 

 The writings of the period constitute the record of the 

 real beginnings of the science. From these pioneer 

 attempts was to develop with astounding rapidity the 

 phytopathology of the present, which is even yet to 

 some degree in the process of delimitation and crystal- 

 lization. In the periods to follow we shall see something 

 of the lines along which and of the great minds by which 

 this development has been effected. 



THE UNGERIAN PERIOD 



The Ungerian period extended from about 1807 to 

 1853. This period might well be designated the physi- 

 ologic or autogenetic period, since the theories and in- 

 vestigations on plant nutrition, sexuality, and irritability 

 largely dominated botanical thought, eclipsing to a 

 marked extent the taxonomic point of view of the pre- 

 ceding period. This is strikingly brought out by the 

 fact that the most important works on plant pathology 

 were written by men primarily plant physiologists, and 

 those too among the greatest of their day. It is also 

 worth noting in passing that they were all doctors of 

 medicine and practised their profession at the beginning 

 of their careers. During the early part of the period no 

 contributions of marked worth appeared. The men who 

 were to express the ideas and shape the evolution of our 

 science during this time were getting the training and 

 experience which was finally to appear in the distinctive 

 contributions of their day. 



Among the botanists whose work strongly influenced 

 3 



