Abstract
Among the early adherents of Entwickelungsmechanik Hans Driesch (1867–1941) was certainly the most colourful personality. Born at Kreuznach, a well-known spa on the Nahe river, as the only child of a wealthy Hamburg merchant, he grew up in the liberal atmosphere of that hanseatic city (Driesch 1951). Gifted with the self-confidence that results from a strong mind backed by seemingly unlimited financial means, and driven by a brillant intellect formally trained at the best institutions within reach, he had by his mid-twenties published nearly two dozen descriptive and experimental papers on animal development, and three small books in the border-fields between theoretical biology and philosophy of science. Many of these have fallen justly (and some unjustly) into oblivion, while two or three proved seminal. These last dealt with the shaking and compressing of cleavage stage sea urchin eggs, and served more than any others to shake confidence in the then widely accepted concept of mosaic development (see the previous essays in this series).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Roux's archives of developmental biology : the official organ of the EDBO
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
