Weidenreich, Franz

Weidenreich, Franz (vī`dĕnrīkh), 1873–1948, German anatomist and physical anthropologist. He was educated at the universities of Munich, Kiel, Berlin, and Strasbourg. In 1921 he became professor of anatomy at the Univ. of Heidelberg; his work there stimulated his interest in anthropology and laid the groundwork for his later achievements in that field. Weidenreich was (1928–35) professor of anthropology at the Univ. of Frankfurt and worked (1935) on the excavation and study of Sinanthropus fossils from caves near Beijing (Peking), China. Later he was associated with the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. He is known for his descriptions of Peking Man (Sinanthropus pekinensis) in 1943 and of Solo Man (Homo soloensis) in 1948. His most famous work, The Skull of Sinanthropus Pekinensis, was published by the Geological Survey of China in 1943.

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Weidenreich, Franz (1873–1948) physical anthropologist; born in Edenkoben, Germany. He received his M.D. from the University of Strassburg (1899), then served at several German universities until Nazi anti-Semitism forced him to emigrate to the U.S.A. The University of Chicago sent him to China (1934–41), where his excavations of the fossil Peking (Beijing) Man resulted in a series of definitive monographs. Returning to the U.S.A., Weidenreich continued his work at the American Museum of Natural History.