Theodor Heinrich Boveri (12 October 1862 – 15 October 1915) was a German

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

comparative anatomist Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny (the evolution of species). The science began in the classical era, continuing in t ...

and co-founder of modern

cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

. He was notable for the first hypothesis regarding cellular processes that cause

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

, and for describing

chromatin Chromatin is a complex of DNA and protein found in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells. The primary function is to package long DNA molecules into more compact, denser structures. This prevents the strands from becoming tangled and also plays important r ...

diminution in

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s. His brother was industrialist Walter Boveri. Boveri was married to the American biologist Marcella O'Grady (1863–1950). Their daughter Margret Boveri (1900–1975) became one of the best-known journalists in post-World War II Germany.

Work

Using an

optical microscope The optical microscope, also referred to as a light microscope, is a type of microscope that commonly uses visible light and a system of lenses to generate magnified images of small objects. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of micros ...

, Boveri examined the processes involved in the fertilization of the animal egg cell; his favorite research objects were the

'' Parascaris'' and

sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

s. Boveri's work with

s showed that it was necessary to have all

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

s present in order for proper

embryonic development In developmental biology, animal embryonic development, also known as animal embryogenesis, is the developmental stage of an animal embryo. Embryonic development starts with the fertilization of an egg cell (ovum) by a sperm, sperm cell (spermat ...

to take place. This discovery was an important part of the Boveri–Sutton chromosome theory. He also discovered, in 1888, the importance of the

centrosome In cell biology, the centrosome (Latin centrum 'center' + Greek sōma 'body') (archaically cytocentre) is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center (MTOC) of the animal cell, as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progre ...

for the formation of the spindle during

mitosis Mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new Cell nucleus, nuclei. Cell division by mitosis is an equational division which gives rise to genetically identic ...

in animal cells, which he described as the ''especial organ of cell division''. Boveri also discovered the phenomenon of

diminution during embryonic development of the nematode ''Parascaris''. Building on Carl Rabl's knowledge that chromosomes are also present between two nuclear divisions in the cell nucleus, he developed the concept of chromosome individuality, i.e. the assumption that chromosomes retain their individuality during interphase. Through long experiments on sea urchin eggs, he was also able to prove that the various chromosomes contain different genetic makeup. He also reasoned in 1902 that a

cancerous tumor Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal ...

begins with a single cell in which the makeup of its chromosomes becomes scrambled, causing the cells to divide uncontrollably. He proposed carcinogenesis was the result of aberrant mitoses and uncontrolled growth caused by

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

, physical or chemical insults or by microscopic

pathogens In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a germ. The term ...

. His assumption was initially rejected by medical professionals; it was only later that researchers such as

Thomas Hunt Morgan Thomas Hunt Morgan (September 25, 1866 – December 4, 1945) was an Americans, American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, Embryology, embryologist, and science author who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries e ...

in 1915 demonstrated that Boveri was correct. Boveri also described the structure of the kidneys in ''

Amphioxus The lancelets ( ), also known as amphioxi (: amphioxus ), consist of 32 described species of somewhat fish-like benthic filter feeding chordates in the subphylum Cephalochordata, class Leptocardii, and family Branchiostomatidae. Lancelets div ...

'' (

Cephalochordata The lancelets ( ), also known as amphioxi (: amphioxus ), consist of 32 described species of somewhat fish-like benthic filter feeding chordates in the subphylum Cephalochordata, class Leptocardii, and family Branchiostomatidae. Lancelets div ...

References

External links

*Fritz Baltzer (1967), excerpt fro
Theodor Boveri: The life of a great biologist, 1862–1915
University of California Press, Berkeley; pp. 85–97. *Markus Engstler and Ulrich Scheer
Theodor Boveri Resources and Virtual Library in Wuerzburg
*Peter Wolbert
Theodor Boveri (1862-1915)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boveri, Theodor 1862 births 1915 deaths Nematologists German geneticists German Roman Catholics 19th-century German biologists Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Scientists from the Kingdom of Bavaria

Work

References

Further reading

External links