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Cellular ‘elementary organisms’ in vitro. The early vision of Gottlieb Haberlandt and its realization
Author(s) -
Höxtermann Ekkehard
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1997.tb03079.x
Subject(s) - multicellular organism , realization (probability) , biology , white (mutation) , physiology , cognitive science , epistemology , history , philosophy , psychology , genetics , cell , mathematics , statistics , gene
The botanist Gottlieb Haberlandt was the first who in 1898 (published in 1902) tried the systematic culture in vitro of single cells. His purpose was to study the mutual influences of cells as the last ‘living units’ within the multicellular body. Haberlandt visualized the theoretical potential of the culture approach in experimental plant morphology and physiology and nearly half a century was to elapse before his far‐reaching ideas were realized. The history of cell and tissue culture is traced from the first concepts and origins in experimental embryology (1858/59) to its final verification almost 100 years later. The paper reminds of essential steps, theoretical backgrounds, accidental and planned discoveries and methodological approaches, and attempts to present all sources. The more or less known reviews of White (1931, 1936 and 1946), Fiedler (1938/39), Stapp (1947), Kandler (1948) and Street (1959) are summarized, and the mutual influence of plant and animal tissue culture on each other is discussed. Previous retrospective articles on the particular role of Haberlandt, namely those of Gautheret (1942) and Krikorian and Berquam (1969), are included in a general assessment of physiological anatomy in memory of the 50th anniversary of this great botanist's death.