Johann Friedrich Meckel (October 17, 1781 – October 31, 1833), often referred to as Johann Friedrich Meckel, the Younger, was a German anatomist born in Halle. He worked as a professor of anatomy, pathology and zoology at the University of Halle, Germany.
In 1802 he received his medical doctorate from the University of Halle, defending his doctoral thesis De cordis conditionibus abnormibus on 8 April 1802. At Halle he had as instructors, Kurt Sprengel (1766-1833) and Johann Christian Reil (1759-1813). After graduation, Meckel continued his education in Würzburg, Vienna and Paris. In Paris he assisted zoologist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832) with systematic analysis of anatomical and zootomical specimens. In 1810 he finished translating Cuvier's 5-volume Leçons d’anatomie Comparée from French into German.
In 1808 he became a full professor of normal and pathological anatomy, surgery and obstetrics at the University of Halle, replacing Justus Christian Loder (1753-1832). From 1826 to 1833 he was editor of the Archiv für Anatomie und Physiologie. In 1829, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Meckel adopted naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's (1744–1829) evolutionary beliefs. He was a pioneer in the science of teratology, in particular the study of birth defects and abnormalities that occur during embryonic development. He believed that abnormal development adhered to the same natural laws as did normal development. With French embryologist Étienne Serres (1786–1868), the "Meckel-Serres Law" is named, which was a theory of parallelism that attempted to link comparative embryology with a unifying pattern in the organic world.
Two eponymous structures of the anatomy are named after him:
- Meckel's diverticulum: Portion of the omphalomesenteric duct of the small intestine, it is present in only 2% of the population. Described in 1809.
- Meckel's cartilage A cartilaginous bar from which the mandible is formed. Described in 1820.
A syndrome – Meckel syndrome – is also named after him. This condition was described in 1822.
A protein – mecklin – found on chromosome 8 (8q21.3-q22.1) is named after him.
Read more about Johann Friedrich Meckel: Family
Famous quotes containing the word meckel:
“Punishment followed on a grand scale. For ten days, an unconscionable length of time, my father blessed the palms of his child’s outstretched, four-year-old hands with a sharp switch. Seven strokes a day on each hand; that makes one hundred forty strokes and then some. This put an end to the child’s innocence.”
—Christoph Meckel (20th century)