Cohn, Ferdinand

Cohn, Ferdinand (fĕr`dĕnänt kōn), 1828–98, German botanist. He is considered a founder of the science of bacteriology. From his early studies of microscopic life he developed theories of the bacterial causes of infectious disease and recognized bacteria as plants. He aided Robert Koch in preparing Koch's famous work on anthrax. Cohn's writings cover such diverse subjects as fungi, algae, insect epidemics, and plant diseases.

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Cohn, Ferdinand (Julius)

(born Jan. 24, 1828, Breslau, Silesia, Prussia—died June 25, 1898, Breslau) German naturalist and botanist, considered one of the founders of bacteriology. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Berlin at age 19. His early research centred on the single-celled algae, and his accounts of the life histories of various algae species are of permanent value. He was among the first to attempt to arrange bacteria into genera and species on a systematic basis. Among his most striking contributions was his discovery of the formation and germination of spores in certain bacteria. During his lifetime Cohn was recognized as the foremost bacteriologist of his day.

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Cohn, Ferdinand 

Born Jan. 24, 1828, in Breslau, now Wroclaw, Poland; died there June 25, 1898. German botanist and bacteriologist.

Cohn graduated from the university in Breslau and became a professor there in 1859. His chief works were on the morphology, developmental history, and taxonomy of algae and fungi. Cohn was the first to include bacteria among plants. He collaborated with Robert Koch in studying anthrax. He founded the journal Beiträge zur Biologie der Pflanzen (1870).

REFERENCE

Rosen, F. “F. Cohn.” Berichte der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft, 1899, ch. 17, pp. 172–202 (with bibliography).