Eduard Oskar (Oskar) Schmidt
1823–86
German zoologist. Professor extraordinarius of zoology, Jena, 1849; director of the zoological museum, 1851. Professor of zoology and comparative anatomy, Graz, 1857; director of the agricultural and zoological museum, 1863. Professor of zoology and zootomy, Strasbourg, 1872. His major research interest was the anatomy of sponges. His inaugural lecture supporting Darwinism, made in 1865 at the University of Graz, led to conflict with the Catholic Church in Austria and sparked a wider debate between Catholics and German nationalists at the university.
Sources
ADB
OBL.
Bibliography
ADB: Allgemeine deutsche Biographie. Under the auspices of the Historical Commission of the Royal Academy of Sciences. 56 vols. Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot. 1875–1912.
OBL: Österreichisches biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950. Edited by Leo Santifaller et al. 15 vols. and 3 fascicles of vol. 16 (A–Zeman Antonín) to date. Vienna: Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. 1957–.
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