Szkic rozwoju zoologii na ziemiach polskich

Abstrakt

As the turning point in the history of zoology the author regards the date of publishing the 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carolus Linnaeus. The pre-Linnaeus zoology in Poland is discussed in three stages. The first mentions of the local fauna can be found in medieval chronicles and in the lists of medicaments (herbaria) dated to the period between the 11th and 15th century. Over the next two centuries elements of zoology were most common in physiographic and philosophical studies, for example in translations of Aristotle's works. From the same period of time come also the first strict zoological works by M. Cygański (1584), K. Schwenckfeld (1603) and J. Jonston (1650-1657). The third stage of that period took place in the first half of the 18th century, and the main center of zoology was at that time Gdańsk with many outstanding naturalists (including J. F. Breyne, J. T. Klein) with whom cooperated a Jesuit-physiograph G. Rzączyński. Zoology based on Linnaeus starts with P. Czenpiński who in 1778 defended the first PhD zoological dissertation in Poland. Shortly afterward was published the first Polish zoology manual written by priest K. Kluk (1779-1780). In the first decades of the Partitions of Poland (up to 1840) zoology centers were in Warszawa, Wilno and Krzemieniec (Russian Empire), in Kraków and Lwów (Austrian Empire) and in Wrocław and Szczecin (Kingdom of Prussia). The most notable zoologists in the discussed area at that time included F. P. Jarocki and A. Waga in Warszawa, L. H. Bojanus, S. B. Gorski and K. Tyzenhauz in Wilno, W. Besser and A. Andrzejowski in Krzemieniec, and L. Gravenhorst in Wrocław. In the second half of the partition period (1865-1918) on the area incorporated into the Russian Empire zoology was studied only in Warszawa (W. Taczanowski and A. Waga) and Puławy. After a period of germanization on the area incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, universities in Kraków and Lwów were re-polonized; most notable zoologists in those centers were M. Siła-Nowicki, W. Kulczyński and B. Dybowski (after coming back from exile in Siberia) and J. Nusbaum-Hilarowicz. When Poland regained independence in 1918 and the whole territory was united, five main zoology centers were formed in Warszawa, Wilno, Lwów, Kraków and Poznań, and this situation lasted until the beginning of World War II in 1939. The most famous zoologists from that period include W. Poliński, R. Kuntze, Z. Mokrzecki, M. Siedlecki, J. Stach, H. Hoyer jun., J. Hirschler, A. Jakubski and J. Grochmalicki. In 1945, when borders of Poland were changed, the first few zoology centers were connected with the universities - in Lublin in the east, Kraków and Wrocław in the south, Warszawa and Łódź in central Poland, Poznań in the west, and Toruń and Gdańsk in Pomerania. Structural changes took place after founding the Polish Academy of Sciences in 1952 and soon after that emerged new zoology centers, among them Olsztyn, Białystok, Szczecin, Katowice, Opole and Rzeszów. Zoology is studied not only at universities, but also at some agriculture or pedagogic academies in the biggest cities, and in specialized institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences - mainly in Warszawa and Kraków. Evaluation of the last period of Polish zoology requires separate studies.