Carl Vogt Outstanding German naturalist, zoologist, paleontologist, philosopher Date of Birth: 05.07.1817 Country: Switzerland

Biography of Karl Focht

Karl Focht was an eminent German naturalist, zoologist, paleontologist, and philosopher. He was also known as a representative of vulgar materialism, as his philosophical views were presented in his natural scientific works. Focht was born and raised in Giessen, where his father held a professorship in medicine. He received his first university education in Giessen, attending medical lectures and conducting research in the chemical laboratory of Liebig.

In 1835, Focht moved to Bern with his father, who was invited to be a professor there. Under the guidance of Valentin, Focht conducted anatomical and physiological studies and obtained a medical doctorate in 1839. He then relocated to Neuchatel and conducted research in zoology and geology together with Desor and Agassiz at the newly established Agassiz zoological-geological laboratory. During this period, Focht focused on the developmental history, anatomy, and paleontology of fish, the evolution of the planarian, the origin of the so-called "red snow," which he attributed to the presence of rotifers and one type of wheel animals, and the geology, particularly the origin of glaciers.

From 1844 to 1846, Focht lived in Paris and partially in Nice, continuing his research in zoology and geology. It was during this time that he wrote his famous "Physiological Letters," which were translated into almost all European languages, and a textbook on geology and paleontology originally based on the lectures of Élie de Beaumont. In 1847, while in Nice, Focht received an invitation to occupy the chair of zoology in his hometown of Giessen. However, the following year, he was forced to flee to Switzerland due to his active involvement in the political events of 1848. He was dismissed from his position and eventually sentenced to death.

During this period of his career, Focht published the immensely successful popular scientific work "Ocean and Mediterranean Sea," which summarized his research conducted during his first stay in France and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In this work, as well as in his "Physiological Letters," Focht demonstrated exceptional talent in presenting nature in a popular scientific manner. In Bern, where he sought refuge from Germany, Focht spent a brief period and from 1850 to 1852, he resumed his studies of the fauna of the Mediterranean Sea in Nice. He also compiled an excellent zoology textbook titled "Zoological Letters," which was ahead of its time.

In 1852, Focht received an invitation to give lectures on zoology in Geneva, and after Pictet's death, he assumed the chair of zoology, comparative anatomy, and paleontology. He remained in Geneva until his death, engaging in zoological research, later anthropology, and returning to purely zoological work in the 1880s. It was during this period that he published his "Lectures on Humans," in which he fiercely defended the polyphyletic origin of humans and sparked lively debate with his article on microcephalics. In the final years of his life, Focht undertook two more significant works: a natural history of mammals and a textbook of comparative anatomy.

Focht, who early on recognized the importance of ontogenetic research, was an enthusiastic supporter of Darwinism, although his views occasionally differed from those of Darwin. He is considered one of the most dedicated German advocates for the idea of materialism in the natural sciences. Focht was a brilliant teacher and speaker, both in the field of science and in his political activities, actively participating in all social and state affairs.