Editing August Weismann (section)

== Life ==

=== Youth and studies ===
Weismann was born a son of high school teacher Johann (Jean) Konrad Weismann (1804–1880), a graduate of ancient languages and theology, and his wife Elise (1803–1850), née Lübbren, the daughter of the county councillor and mayor of [[Stade]], on 17 January 1834 in [[Frankfurt am Main]]. He had a typical 19th century bourgeois education, receiving music lessons from the age of four, and drafting and painting lessons from [[Jakob Becker]] (1810–1872) at the Frankfurter [[Städel|Städelsche Institut]] from the age of 14. His piano teacher was a devoted butterfly collector and introduced him to the collecting of [[imago]]s and caterpillars. But studying natural sciences was out of the question due to the cost involved and limited job prospects. A friend of the family, chemist [[Friedrich Wöhler]] (1800–1882), recommended studying medicine. A foundation from the inheritance of Weismann's mother allowed him to take up studies in [[Göttingen]]. Following his graduation in 1856, he wrote his dissertation on the synthesis of [[hippuric acid]] in the human body.

=== Professional life ===
Immediately after university, Weismann took on a post as assistant at the Städtische Klinik (city clinic) in [[Rostock]]. Weismann successfully submitted two manuscripts, one about [[hippuric acid]] in herbivores, and one about the salt content of the [[Baltic Sea]], and won two prizes. The paper about the salt content dissuaded him from becoming a chemist, since he felt himself lacking in apothecarial accuracy.

After a study visit to see Vienna's museums and clinics, he visited [[Italy]] (1859) and [[Paris]] (1860). He returned to Frankfurt as personal physician to the banished [[Archduke Stephen, Palatine of Hungary|Archduke Stephen of Austria]] at [[Schaumburg Castle, Rhineland-Palatinate|Schaumburg Castle]] from 1861 to 1863.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Weismann, August|volume=28|page=499}}</ref>  During the [[Second Italian War of Independence|war between Austria, France and Italy]] in 1859, he became Chief Medical Officer in the military, and on a leave from duty he walked through Northern Italy and the [[County of Tyrol]]. After a sabbatical in Paris, he worked with [[Rudolf Leuckart]] at the [[University of Gießen]]. 

From 1863, he was [[privatdozent]] in [[comparative anatomy]] and zoology; from 1866 extraordinary professor; and from 1873 to 1912 full professor, first holder of the chair in zoology and director of the zoological institute at [[Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg]] in [[Breisgau]]. He retired in 1912.<ref>Gaup, Ernst 1917. ''August Weismann: sein Leben und sein Werk''. Fischer, Jena.</ref> His earlier work was largely concerned with purely zoological investigations, one of his earliest works dealing with the development of the [[Diptera]]. Microscopical work, however, became impossible to him owing to impaired eyesight, and he turned his attention to wider problems of biological inquiry.<ref name="EB1911"/>