Stettin Entomological Society

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Der Entomologische Verein zu Stettin (in English, the Entomological Society of Stettin (now Szczecin)), was one of the leading entomological societies of the nineteenth century. Most German entomologists were members as were many from England, Sweden, Italy, France and Spain. The society had very large collections and a very comprehensive library.

The first German entomological society, the Entomologische Verein zu Stettin was formed in 1839. Following the death, at 39, of the its first and short-lived president, Dr. Wilhelm Schmidt, Carl August Dohrn (1806-1892), a life-long resident of the then Prussian town of Stettin, became its second president. He was elected at an anniversary meeting on 5 November 1843. Having acted as secretary of the society, for the previous four years he continued in this role and that of president for the next forty.

Under Dohrn’s presidency the society became as important as the entomological societies of London and Paris. As in these countries, the society reflected the growing professionalism during the second half of the 19th century, necessitating specialisation. Specialisation was accompanied by a rise in technical standards of argument and presentation and a tendency toward the use of learned jargon. There were differences however as universities and academies in Germany became increasingly advanced relative to those of England and France, organising seminars (with their published proceedings) and encouraging early publication of, for instance, the Ph.D. dissertation, the academic "program" and the technical monograph. Also after about 1850 any entomologist who wished to keep abreast of developments in his subject had to be able to read at the least English, French, German, Italian, and, in some cases Swedish. Latin and Greek were indispensable. Far fewer entomologists in England and France were multilingual than in Germany. The Irish entomologist Alexander Henry Haliday, an early member of the Entomologische Verein zu Stettin, was a notable exception.

Stettin is close to Lund in Sweden, home of the great Swedish dipterist Johann Wilhelm Zetterstedt, and also to Mesritz, where Hermann Loew, the greatest dipterist of the century, was to become Director of the Royal "Realschule". Both were members of the society.

The society's journal was called the Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung, abbreviated Stett. Ent. Zeit.

[edit] Sources

• Douglas, J. W., 1892. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine (3) 3:164-165: Obituary of C. A. Dohrn.

• Lefèvre, E., 1892. Bull. Soc. Ent. Fr. 61: Obituary of C. A. Dohrn.

Various other obituaries of C.A. Dohrn are listed by Reinhard Gaedike and Eckhard K. Groll in Biographien der Entomologen der Welt [1]

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