(Redirected from Hans Driesch)'Hans Adolf Eduard Driesch' (
October 28,
1867 -
April 16,
1941) was a
German biologist and
philosopher.
Driesch had demonstrated by experiment in 1895, that it was possible to remove large pieces from eggs, such as shuffling the
blastomeres at will or taking some away and thus interfere in many ways, yet not affect the resulting embryo. This was taken as proof that any single
monad in the original egg cell was capable of forming any part of the completed embryo.
Using
Aristotle's philosophy Driesch proposed the autonomy of life was introduced by way of
entelechy, but this idea met with violent opposition. He also held a belief in what he called a three part "
doctrine of order", mixed with ideas from the
stance of
vitalism.
His work on sea urchins in which he separated two cell embryo he expected each cells to develop into the corresponding part of the animal to which it has been destined or preprogrammed.but each cells developed into a complete sea urchin.these also happened at the for cell sea urchin embryo stage where entire larvae ensued from each of the four cells albeit smaller than usual. this brought about the term totipotent cell (total + potential) and pluripotent cell. a totipotent cell can generate every cell in an organism' a pluripotent cell can generate nearly every cell.
His work on sea urchins in which he separated two cell embryo he expected each cells to develop into the corresponding part of the animal to which it has been destined or preprogrammed.but each cells developed into a complete sea urchin.these also happened at the four cell embryo stage where entire larvae ensued from each of the four cells albeit smaller than usual. this brought about the term totipotent cell (total + potential) and pluripotent cell. a totipotent cell can generate every cell in an organism' a pluripotent cell can generate nearly every cell.
External links
★
Biography and bibliography in the Virtual Laboratory of the
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science