Thomas Eduard Mittler (September 18, 1928–March 13, 2012) was an Austrian

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

who primarily researched the diets of insects, particularly

aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

. He was the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the ''

Annual Review of Entomology The ''Annual Review of Entomology'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes review articles about entomology, the study of insects. First published in 1956 from a collaboration between the Entomological Society of America and Annual R ...

'' from 1967–1997.

Early life and education

Thomas Eduard Mittler was born on September 18, 1928, in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria as the second child of parents Anna and Stefan Mittler. In 1938, he fled with his family from Austria to England as a result of the ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

'', when Austria was

annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

into

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. In England, he attended

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

in 1949. He then attended the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

for his PhD under entomologist

Vincent Wigglesworth Sir Vincent Brian Wigglesworth CBE FRS (17 April 1899 – 11 February 1994) was a British entomologist who made significant contributions to the field of insect physiology. He established the field in a textbook which was updated in a number ...

, graduating in 1955. His doctoral research centered on the diet and nutrition of sap-feeding insects, especially

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

Career

Upon finishing his PhD, he held temporary positions in London, Canada and Denmark. He accepted a position at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1961. At Berkeley he continued his studies of aphid diet; with Reginald Dadd, he defined the first completely chemically defined artificial diets for aphids, based on their previous studies of the chemical composition of

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

. He also researched the diet of the

Mediterranean fruit fly ''Ceratitis capitata'', commonly known as the Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, is a yellow-and-brown fly native to sub-Saharan Africa. It has no near relatives in the Western Hemisphere and is considered to be one of the most destructive fr ...

, a major agricultural pest, as a consultant for the

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

. He remained at Berkeley until his retirement in 1994. He was an

of the ''

'' from 1967–1997. He was also an editor of ''Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata'' for twenty years. Altogether, he published more than 100 scientific papers, including the 1972 text ''History of Entomology''.

Personal life and death

In 1954, he married Bergliot "Tutten" Finsen, who was originally from Denmark. They enjoyed skiing and

ice dancing Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...

, as well as traveling. They had two children together, John and Eric. He died on March 13, 2012, from a respiratory infection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mittler, Thomas E 1928 births 2012 deaths Scientists from Vienna Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of the University of Cambridge Austrian entomologists University of California, Berkeley faculty Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom Annual Reviews (publisher) editors