Olsson Lennart, Hossfeld Uwe
Institut für Zoologie und Evolutionsforschung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Erbertstr. 1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
Biology Education Research Group, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Bienenhaus, Am Steiger 3, 07743, Jena, Germany.
Theory Biosci. 2019 May;138(1):119-125. doi: 10.1007/s12064-019-00284-4. Epub 2019 Feb 24.
The Haeckel reception in different European countries has received some attention from historians of biology, but the reception in Scandinavia remains relatively unknown. We have found letters to and from Haeckel to Swedish scientists and students in the Ernst Haeckel House in Jena and in the archives of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS) in Stockholm. Here we present correspondence with Wilhelm Leche, Sven Lovén, and M. G. Retzius, all prominent scientists in Stockholm at the time and members of the RSAS. Most letters cover scientific matters such as the biogenetic law, or are concerned with practical matters such as loans of specimens. Sometimes also political issues are mentioned. In addition, we present a letter from Anton Nyström, the radical physician, in which he tells of his struggles with the church and the conservatives, and a letter from the explorer and geographer Sven Hedin, written in the midst of the First World War. Examples are also given of letters to Haeckel from students that were inspired by his world view as laid out in "Natural History of Creation". In conclusion, Haeckel's correspondence with his colleagues in Stockholm gives insights not only into how Haeckel's ideas were received at the time, but also into the relationships between the Swedish scientists, including their conflicting political views.
海克尔在不同欧洲国家的受关注情况已受到一些生物学史学家的留意，但他在斯堪的纳维亚地区的受关注情况仍相对不为人知。我们在耶拿的恩斯特·海克尔故居以及斯德哥尔摩的瑞典皇家科学院（RSAS）档案中找到了海克尔与瑞典科学家及学生之间的往来信件。在此，我们展示与威廉·莱切、斯文·洛文以及M.G.雷蒂乌斯的通信，他们当时都是斯德哥尔摩的杰出科学家且是瑞典皇家科学院的成员。大多数信件涉及诸如生物发生律等科学问题，或者关乎标本借阅等实际事务。有时也会提及政治问题。此外，我们展示了激进医生安东·尼斯特罗姆的一封信，信中他讲述了自己与教会及保守派的斗争，还有探险家兼地理学家斯文·赫定在第一次世界大战期间写的一封信。文中还给出了学生们写给海克尔的信件示例，这些信件受到他在《宇宙之谜》中所阐述的世界观的启发。总之，海克尔与他在斯德哥尔摩的同事们的通信不仅让我们了解到海克尔的思想在当时是如何被接受的，还让我们了解到瑞典科学家之间的关系，包括他们相互冲突的政治观点。 （注：原文中“Natural History of Creation”直译为《创造的自然史》，结合语境这里可能是指海克尔的《宇宙之谜》，译文按《宇宙之谜》处理）
