Johann Friedrich Meckel (17 October 1781 – 31 October 1833), often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Younger, was a German anatomist born in Halle. He worked as a professor of anatomy, pathology and zoology at the University of Halle, Germany.
Life and research
In 1802, he received his medicaldoctorate from the University of Halle, defending his doctoral thesis De cordis conditionibus abnormibus on 8 April 1802. At Halle he had as instructors, Kurt Sprengel (1766-1833) and Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813). After graduation, Meckel continued his education in Würzburg, Vienna and Paris. In Paris, he assisted zoologistGeorges Cuvier (1769–1832) with systematic analysis of anatomical and zootomical specimens. In 1810 he finished translating Cuvier's five-volume Leçons d’anatomie Comparée from French into German.
Meckel adopted naturalistJean-Baptiste Lamarck's (1744–1829) evolutionary beliefs. He was a pioneer in the science of teratology, in particular the study of birth defects and abnormalities that occur during embryonic development. He believed that abnormal development adhered to the same natural laws as did normal development. With French embryologistÉtienne Serres (1786–1868), the "Meckel-Serres Law" is named, defined as a theory of parallelism between the stages of ontogeny and the stages of a unifying pattern in the organic world ("scala naturae").[1]
Associated terms
The following eponymous terms are named after him:[2]
Meckel's diverticulum – an out-pouching of the ileum, part of the small intestine, and found in approximately 2% of the population.
His grandfather was also named "Johann Friedrich Meckel". In order to avoid confusion, he is often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Elder. The elder Meckel was also a professor of anatomy, and he too has anatomical structures named after him.
Klunker, Rudyard; Göbbel Luminita; Musil Anette; Tönnies Holger; Schultka Rüdiger (November 2002). "[Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833) and modern teratology]". Ann. Anat.184 (6): 535–40. doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80093-0. PMID12489337.
Göbbel, Luminita; Schultka Rüdiger (November 2002). "[The scholarly program of Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833) and it importance for the development of life sciences]". Ann. Anat.184 (6): 519–22. doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80091-7. PMID12489335.
Schultka, Rüdiger; Göbbel Luminita (November 2002). "[Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781–1833), an extremely important naturalist and scholar]". Ann. Anat.184 (6): 503–8. doi:10.1016/S0940-9602(02)80089-9. PMID12489333.
^Schultka, R; Göbbel, L (November 2002). "[Johann Friedrich Meckel the Younger (1781-1833), an extremely important naturalist and scholar]". Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger (in German). 184 (6): 503–8. doi:10.1016/s0940-9602(02)80089-9. PMID12489333.