Educated at Merseburg Gymnasium, the University of Berlin, where he studied medicine, and the University of Jena, Haeckel received a doctorate in zoology and, in 1862, became professor of comparative anatomy at Jena. He was also named director of the Zoological Institute. After reading Darwin's Origin of Species, Haeckel became a strong adherent of evolution theory. He worked for a number of years on invertebrate groups and is responsible for naming hundreds of species. He was widely traveled and always brought back numerous examples from his trips. He continued as a professor at Jena for 43 years until his retirement. In 1866, he published General Morphology, which was subsequently edited and re-published a year later as Natural History of Creation, which was very successful. Haeckel was a prolific writer and produced many fine works on travel in addition to his numerous scientific treatises. His works include Radiolaria (1862), Monera (1870), Studies on the Gastraea Theory (1873-84), The Last Link (1898), The Riddle of the Universe (1901), Last Words on Evolution (1905) and Wanderbilder (1905). |
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