Maria Johanna Dahl, née Grosset (26 July 1872, in Boromlya, Poltava Region – 6 January 1972) was a Ukrainian-born German zoologist,

arachnologist Arachnology is the scientific study of arachnids, which comprise spiders and related invertebrates such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, ticks, and mites. Those who study spiders and other arachnids are arachnologists. More narrowly ...

, and

carcinologist This is a list of notable carcinologists. A carcinologist is a scientist who studies crustaceans or is otherwise involved in carcinology (the science of crustaceans). References

{{Reflist, 24em Carcinologists, . Lists of zoologists, Carcino ...

. Along with her husband,

Friedrich Dahl Karl Friedrich Theodor Dahl (24 June 1856 in Rosenhofer Brök north of Dahme, Schleswig-Holstein, Dahme, Holstein – 29 June 1929 in Greifswald) was a German zoologist, and in particular an arachnologist. The son of a farmer, Dahl studied at the ...

, she was a co-author and editor of the zoological series ''Die Tierwelt Deutschlands'', published between 1925 and 1968.

Life

Maria Johanna Grosset was born on 26 July 1872 in Boromlya, Russian Empire (currently in

Poltava Region Poltava Oblast (), also referred to as Poltavshchyna (), is an oblast (province) of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava. Most of its territory was part of the southern regions of the Cossack Hetmanate. ...

, Ukraine). She was an honor graduate from the Girls Gymnasium in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. In 1889, Grosset became a teacher of culture. In 1890, Grosset immigrated with her family to Kiel, Germany, where she attended a vocational school. She planned to study medicine, however, at that time only men could attend medical schools in Germany. In 1891, Groset had to retake the exams, as her Russian diploma was not recognized in Germany. On 19 June 1899 Grosset married

. The couple had four children. Due to Friedrich Dahl's health problems, the Dahl family moved to

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

where Dahl continued to live after her husband's death in 1929. Maria Dahl died on 6 January 1972 at the age of 99.

Career

From 1892 to 1899 Dahl was employed as an assistant to

Karl Brandt Karl Brandt (8 January 1904 – 2 June 1948) was a German physician and ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) officer in Nazi Germany. Trained in surgery, Brandt joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and became Adolf Hitler's escort doctor in August 1934. A member of ...

at Zoological institute in Kiel where she was working with the collections from the 1889-90 Plankton-Expedition. In the two decades after getting married in 1899, Dahl was mainly occupied by the birth and education of her four children. However, around 1907 her husband, Friedrich Dahl, encouraged her to pursue the work he had started on the corycacid

copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

s of the Plankton-Expedition. Working at home, by 1912 Dahl had completed a monograph of excellence, planned as one part of the series. In the foreword to her analysis of the copepod genus '' Corycacinen'', Dahl apologized for not having a PhD in zoology and for taking too long to complete the task. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Dahl was engaged in

arachnid Arachnids are arthropods in the Class (biology), class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, opiliones, harvestmen, Solifugae, camel spiders, Amblypygi, wh ...

research along with her husband. In 1920, Dahl began her research at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

and was occupied with it until 1925. Dahl's and her husband's joint research culminated in publishing ''Die Tierwelt Deutschlands'' in 1925. Friedrich Dahl was its founder and author of the first three volumes, while Maria co-authored the fifth volume and edited 15 volumes. A review in ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'' called ''Die Tierwelt Deutschlands'' "a reference book necessary to every library of zoology", noting that "each species is given an excellent and well-illustrated systematic description". After Friedrich Dahl’s death in 1929, Dahl continued editing ''Die Tierwelt Deutschlands'' until 1968. Dahl also published several works on spiders and finished editing her husband’s book on

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

List of works

Selected works: * 1926 – Dahl (M.) (Maria), ''Spinentiere oder Arachnoidea. I.Spring-spinnen (Salticidae)''. Tierw. Deuts., 1926, pp. 1–55, 159 fig. * 1927 – Dahl (M.), vide DAHL (F.) & Maria DAHL, 1927. * 1928 – Dahl (M.), ''Einige Lebendbeobachtungen an Argiope lobata (Arachneae, Argiopidae)''. Zool. Anz., 75 (3–4), pp. 79–85 * 1928 – Dahl (M.), ''Spinnen (Araneae) von Nowaja-Semlja''. Norsk. Vid. Akard. Oslo, 1928, pp. 1–37. *1931 – Dahl (M.), ''Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea. VI. 24 Familie: Agelenidae''. Tierw. Deuts., 1931, pp. 1–46, 76 fig. *1933 – Dahl (M.), ''Spinnen (Araneae). in The Norwegian North Polar Expedition with the Maud 1918–1925'', Scientific Results, 5 (16), pp. 3–4. *1935 – Dahl (M.), ''Zur Kenntnis der Spinnentiere Schlesiens. A. Araneae und Opiliones''. Sitz-ber. Ges naturf. Freu. Berlin, 1935, pp. 337–353. *1937 – Dahl (M.), ''Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea. VIII. 19 Familie: Hahniidae''. Tierw. Deuts., 1937, pp. 100–114, 33 fig. *1937 – Dahl (M.), ''Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea. VIII. 20 Familie: Argyronetidae''. Tierw. Deuts., 1937, pp. 115–118, fig.34–38. *1938 – Dahl (M.), ''Zur Verbreitung der Gattung Porrhomma in deutschen Höhlen, Stollen, Bergwerten und Kellern und deren freilebenden Arten''. Mitt. Höhl. u. Karstjorsch., 1938, pp. 122 132, 9 fig.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahl, Maria German women scientists German arachnologists 19th-century German women scientists 19th-century German zoologists German carcinologists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany 1872 births 1972 deaths Women zoologists German people of Ukrainian descent People from Poltava Oblast