162 



BIOLOGY AND ITS MAKERS 



Meckel.— Just as Cuvier stands at the beginning of the 

 school of comparative anatomy in France, so does J. Fr. 

 Meckel in Germany. Meckel (i 781-1833) was a man of 

 rare talent, descended from a family of distinguished anat- 

 omists. From 1804 to 1806 he studied in Paris under Cuvier, 

 and when he came to leave the French capital to become 

 professor of anatomy at Halle, he carried into Germany the 



Fig. 47. — J. Fr. Meckel, 1781-1833. 



teachings and methods of his master. He was a strong force 

 in the university, attracting students to his department by 

 his excellent lectures and his ability to arouse enthusiasm. 

 Some of these students were stimulated to undertake re- 

 searches in anatomy, and there came from his laboratory a 

 number of investigations that were published in a periodical 

 which he founded. Meckel himself produced many scientific 

 papers and works on comparative anatomy, which assisted 



