Hermann Hoffmann
was a German botanist and mycologist born in Rödelheim.Career
He studied medicine at the University of Giessen, and in 1839 furthered his education in Berlin as a student of physiologist Johannes Peter Müller. In 1842 he earned his habilitation at Giessen, where he worked as a private lecturer. During this time his focus turned exclusively to botany, and in 1853 he became a professor of botany and director of the botanical gardens at Giessen. He maintained these positions until his death in 1891.
Hoffmann was a pioneer of botanical phenology. He also did important studies in the fields of plant physiology and phytogeography. He conducted research involving the biological aspects of fungi in relation to fermentation, putrefaction and disease, and also performed early investigations in the field of bacteriology.
In 1869, Hoffmann wrote a book on species and varieties that included a long excerpt from Gregor Mendel's genetics paper of 1865. The book attempted to refute Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Darwin had an annotated copy of the book.Published works
- Schilderung der deutschen Pflanzenfamilien vom botanisch-deskriptiven u. physiologisch-chemischen Standpunkt,.
- Untersuchungen über den Pflanzenschlaf,.
- Pflanzenverbreitung u. Pflanzenwanderung,.
- Witterung und Wachstum, oder Grundzüge der Pflanzenklimatalogie,.
- Lehrbuch der Botanik,.
- "Icones analyticae fungorum".
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- Untersuchungen zur Bestimmung des Werthes von Species und Varietät. Ein Beitrag zur Kritik der Darwin'schen Hypothese
- Mykologische Berichte,.
- Pharmakologische Studien über die Alkaloide der Quebrachorinde. 1884 by the University and State Library Düsseldorf
- Resultate der wichtigsten pflanzenphänologischen Beobachtungen in Europa.
