Boveri at 100: the life and times of Theodor Boveri.

Abstract

This perspective focuses on the life and personality of TH Boveri, who was one of the leading creative and visionary scientists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Born in Bamberg in 1862, he made his scientific career in Munich and Würzburg, where he produced his prolific and important research, including seminal papers on cytogenetics. Of particular note is his work on chromosomal structures and function, including a theory of meiosis, a field almost new at that time. From these studies he created a theoretical model on oncogenesis, Zur Frage der Entstehung maligner Tumoren, which was originally published in 1914. Boveri's personality was characterized by an active and sometimes turbulent temperament, which nevertheless was controlled by scientific objectivity and doubts about his own abilities, at least with regard to his research. These characteristics made him an outstanding scientist who contributed new knowledge to the world of biology and pathology.