Sławomir Miklaszewski (11 November 1874 in

Augustów Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is the seat of Augustów County and of Gmina Augustów in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Augustów has an area of , and as of June 2022 it has a popul ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

– 5 January 1949 in

Iłża Iłża () is a small town in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. In 2006 Iłża had approximately 5,165 inhabitants. The town belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland, and from its foundation until 1795, it was part of Lesser Poland’s Sandomie ...

) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

soil scientist Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation t ...

, professor of

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology () is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...

, and founder of the Polish pedologic

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

. Miklaszewski graduated from the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

in 1899, where he studied mainly

analytical chemistry Analytical skill, Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods to Separation process, separate, identify, and Quantification (science), quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification may constitute t ...

. For the next two years he held the position of senior assistant to Professor Emil Godlewski senior, at the Chair of Agricultural Chemistry,

Jagellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the wor ...

in Cracow (

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

). From 1901, he organized the Laboratory of Soil Science at the Museum of Industry and Agriculture in Warsaw, of which he later became the head. In 1919, the Laboratory became a part of the Warsaw University of Technology, where, as a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

, Miklaszewski worked until the end of his life. In 1946 he was elected honorary president of the Polish Pedological Society. Professor Miklaszewski was very active in the scientific, didactic, organizational and publishing fields. He created the original Polish school of soil science, equilibrating the geologico-substancional intellectual tradition of

Albrecht Thaer Albrecht Daniel Thaer (; 14 May 1752 – 26 October 1828) was a German agronomist and a supporter of the humus theory for plant nutrition. Biography Family and early life Albrecht Daniel Thaer was born in Celle, a neat little town in Hanov ...

and Frederic Fallou and the new Russian genetico-typological school of

Vasily Dokuchaev Vasily Vasilyevich Dokuchaev (; 1 March 1846 – 8 November 1903) was a Russian geologist and geographer who is credited with laying the foundations of soil science. The Ukrainian city of Dokuchaievsk is named after him. Overview V ...

. He was describing the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

as the product of oro-hydrographic, climatic, and geologic conditions of the country in which it occurs. In this spirit he created original ''The outline of preliminary classification of Polish soils'' dividing all soils into three basic groups: silicate soils, calcic soils and humus soils. His

soil classification Soil classification deals with the systematic categorization of soils based on distinguishing characteristics as well as criteria that dictate choices in use. Overview Soil classification is a dynamic subject, from the structure of the system, ...

was used in Poland till 50. of XX c. and influenced next editions of Polish Soil Classification. His most important publications are: ''Soil Map of the Kingdom of Poland 1:500 000'' (1907)-the world's first soil map covering such a large area witch such accurancy; ''Soil Map of Lithuania'' (1924) and ''Soil Map of Poland'' (1927) 1:500 000 as well as manuals and monographs ''Recognition of Soils in Poland'' and ''Soils of Poland''. Miklaszewski was a world-renowned scientist, actively participating in works of International Pedologie Congresses as well as the

International Society of Soil Science International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. He introduced the term "

rendzina Rendzina (or ''rendsina'') is a soil type recognized in various soil classification systems, including those of Britain and Germany as well as some obsolete systems. They are humus-rich shallow soils that are usually formed from carbonate- or occ ...

" from Polish language to the international nomenclature of soil science.

References

Bibliography

* * * 1874 births People from Augustów 1949 deaths Burials at Powązki Cemetery Polish soil scientists Polish agriculturalists University of Warsaw alumni Academic staff of the Warsaw University of Technology {{Poland-scientist-stub