Mendel – The Man

A Series of Podcasts

Portrait of a person portrait of a scientist

Welcome to our series of articles Mendel, the Man. The Faculty of Science of Masaryk University wants to contribute to the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, which we commemorate in 2022.

We would like to introduce Mendel as a person, personality and character. The series therefore begins with seven texts by Professor Jiřina Relichová, in which the author presents a personal portrait of Mendel based on his personal correspondence, the memories of his loved ones, and a biography and poetry written by himself.

The following is an article written and narrated by Dr. Petr Peňáz, classical philologist and bohemist, director of the Teiresiás Center of Masaryk University. His text is helping to understand the specific context of Moravian public life at the time, which made it possible for Mendel's talents to be recognized and such an exceptional personality to develop.

The portrait of Mendel's personality and the article about contemporary and public context is followed by articles presenting Mendel as a scientist with a very wide range of subjects, as a careful recorder of natural phenomena and weather in Brno and its surroundings, botany and a bee expert. With these texts, scientists from several departments of our faculty have contributed to the series.

Enjoy these articles with the sense for Mendel.

5 Dec

Gregor Johann Mendel Meteorologist

Even though Johan Gregor Mendel achieved the greatest fame in genetics, his merits in the field of meteorology cannot be overlooked either. He did not only measure the air temperature, but also the amount of precipitation, air pressure, and the amount of ozone, he also carried out phenological observations, observed the number of sunspots and measured the height of the groundwater level in the grounds of the monastery on Mendel Square. He also described the occurrence of a tornado in the vicinity of Brno.

10 Nov

Mendel and the Legacy of Protestant Schools

Gregor Johann Mendel as an Augustinian abbot is clearly associated with the Catholic confession. It is forgotten that, like František Palacký, for example, he came from the Enlightenment environment created by the Brno evangelicals on the Kunín estate, and was in contact with this environment for a long time, actually also through his predecessor, the liberal abbot Cyril Franz Napp.

3 Oct

G. J. Mendel and his low resistance to stress

Several times in Mendel’s life, his low resistance to stress became apparent. According to documents, he struggled with certain mental problems from a young age during his high school studies. He writes in his biography that he got into a deplorable position when he had to take care of himself on his own, but that he managed to earn at least enough by private tuition that he could “live in misery”.

5 Sep

G. J. Mendel: modest, patient and principled

Although Mendel suffered from a protracted and painful illness, he rarely complained in the last days of his life. In one of his last letters, 18 days before his death, he wrote to his personal friend, the meteorologist prof. J. Líznar that he is so ill that he can no longer even read meteorological instruments without the help of others, and says goodbye to his friend with a light sense of humor: "Since we hardly ever meet in this area, I would like to offer you a hearty Be well!" and call upon your head all the blessings of the meteorological deities.”

20 Jul

G. J. Mendel: generous, charitable, selfless

Mendel loved his family very much and was grateful to them. His warm emotional relationship with his family, and especially his mother, can be seen in the surviving letters he wrote home from Brno or Vienna. He addresses his parents as ‘Dearest Parents’ or ‘Beloved Parents’, and his mother and sister as ‘Dearest Mother, Dearest Sister’. In the letters, he is interested in how people in the family are doing and often mentions concern for the health of his loved ones.

20 Jun

A scientific approach to solving the question of ‘what is inherited and how’. Experiments with peas

When Mendel planned his experiments with peas, he first studied the conclusions of his predecessors, who had undertaken similar experiments with plant crosses. He was aware that this would be a difficult task.

TIP

6 Jun

The fate of man, according to G. J. Mendel

Do you know that G. J. Mendel also wrote poetry? In the poem you will read in the 3rd episode of the podcast Mendel, The Man, you will find his life's credo that it is man's destiny to strive for high goals and to use all his abilities to achieve them. Enjoy the science by listening!

16 May

G. J. Mendel: inquisitive, talented and ambitious

Welcome to the second part of our series Mendel, the Man, presenting a personal portrait of the “father of genetics”. Enjoy the podcast with the title G. J. Mendel: inquisitive, talented and ambitious.

2 May

What kind of person was Gregor Johann Mendel?

Welcome to our series of articles Mendel, the Man. The Faculty of Science of Masaryk University wants to contribute to the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Gregor Johann Mendel, which we commemorate in 2022.

About the authors

Jiřina Relichová

Petr Peňáz

Jarmila Burianová

Sources and the list of used literature

On the centenary of G. Mendel’s lectures on the results of his pea experiments, a collection of previously discovered knowledge about his life and work was published: Gregor Mendel, the founder of genetics. The collection was prepared by V. Orel. Blok Brno, 1965.
Much can be gleaned from Mendel’s correspondence, as translated by A. Matalová: Mendel’s birthplace. Mendel’s letters home. Moravian Museum Brno, 2008.

A treatise on the results of his pea experiments and some other documents are also valuable resources: Mendel, G. Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden. Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brünn 4, 1865, Abhandlungen 3-47, 1866 a překlad A. Matalové Nakl. K-public, published by Jiří Krejčí, Brno 2008.
One of the most important sources are the memoirs of Mendel’s nephew, Alois Schindler “Gedenkrede auf Prälat Gregor Joh. Mendel anlässlich der Gedenktafelenthüllung in Heinzendorf, Schlesien am 20. Juli 1902 (private print of the author)”, who knew his uncle well as he had lived with him in Brno since the 5th grade of primary school (i.e. since 1870). This is a celebratory speech given by A. Schindler for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the fire brigade in his native Hynčice.
J. Kříženecký’s remarks on these memories, in which he specified some data, are also very valuable: Gregor Johann Mendel 1822−1884. Texts and links to his work and life. Johann Ambrosius Barth Verlag Leipzig, 1965.
Later authors who wrote biographies of G. J. Mendel based them on these documents: H. Iltis (1924), J. Kříženecký (1965) and V. Orel (2003) and some others. Each of these authors summarised the hitherto known data and evidence about G. J. Mendel and his discovery, and enriched them with new findings and connections. Many new findings came after 1965, when genetics as a science could develop freely in our country. Since then, V. Orel and the Mendelian staff of the Moravian Museum have systematically cared for the legacy of the founder of genetics and published the results of research on Mendel’s life and work by Czech and foreign researchers in the specialised journal, Folia Mendeliana. This contribution draws mainly from the last comprehensive work, V. Orla’s monograph: Gregor Mendel and the beginnings of genetics, Academia Praha, 2003. In it, the author not only describes the circumstances of Gregor Johann Mendel’s life and work, but also illustrates the environment that paved the way for it. It also describes the events of that time and important scientific and political personalities that affected the development of natural sciences and Mendel’s discovery itself, with an overlap almost up to the end of the 20th century.

List of used literature for volume 8

K. R. Riecke, Heinrich [online]. In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 28 (1889), pp. 508-512. Quoted 1. 10. 2021. Available from: https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/pnd115362177.html#adbcontent
BOLOM-KOTARI, Sixtus. Victor Heinrich Riecke a Brno jako osvícenské srdce moravského protestantismu. In: Brno v minulosti a dnes 28 (2015), pp. 195-225.
Denkmal für Victor Heinrich Riecke von einigen Verehrern und Freunden des Seligen aus der Brünner Gemeinde A. C. Wien 1831. Quoted 1. 7. 2021. Available from: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=l0ZYAAAAcAAJ&pg=GBS.PA1
KROUPA, Jiří. Alchymie štěstí: Pozdní osvícenství a moravská společnost 1770-1810. 2., edited ed. Brno: Era 2006.
SMUTNÝ, Bohumír. Brněnští podnikatelé a jejich podniky: 1764-1948: encyklopedie podnikatelů a jejich rodin. Brno, 2012. ISBN 978-80-86736-28-0. Available also from: http://www.digitalniknihovna.cz/mzk/uuid/uuid:e1dfc740-9438-11ea-929f-005056827e52
TRAUTENBERGER, Gustav. Geschichte der evangelischen Kirche in den königlichen Städten Mährens, besonders der königlichen Landeshauptstadt Brünn. Brünn: Evangelische Gemeinde, 1864. Available also from: http://www.digitalniknihovna.cz/mzk/uuid/uuid:1a220b90-0a7f-11e3-a616-5ef3fc9bb22f
TRAUTENBERGER, Gustav G. Aus der evangelischen Kirchengemeinde in Brünn. 1. díl [online]. Brünn: G. G. Trautenberger 1866. Available also from: https://dnnt.mzk.cz/view/uuid:67ec6da0-b892-11e2-b6da-005056827e52?page=uuid:9dbf93f0-cc59-11e2-8c63-5ef3fc9ae867
TRAUTENBERGER, Gustav G. Aus der evangelischen Kirchengemeinde in Brünn. 2. díl. Brünn: G. G. Trautenberger 1867.
ZEZULČÍK, Jaroslav: Mládí Františka Palackého v Hodslavicích a na škole v Kuníně. In ORLITA, Zdeněk a Radek POLÁCH, Jaroslav ZEZULČÍK. Památník Františka Palackého v Hodslavicích. Hodslavice: Muzeum Novojičínska, Obec Hodslavice 2018. Pp. 57-86.

List of used literature for volume 9

Brázdil, R., Valášek, H., Macková, J. (2005): Meteorologická pozorování v Brně v první polovině 19. Století [Meteorological observations in Brno in the first half of the 19th century]. Archiv města Brna, Brno. (in Czech)

Dobrovolný, P. et al. (2012): Klima Brna. Víceúrovňová analýza městského klimatu. [Multiscale analysis of urban climate]. Masarykova univerzita, Brno. (in Czech)

Krška, K., Rožnovský, J. (2002): Génius genetiky – oslava Gregora Mendela vědou a uměním [genius of genetics - celebrating Gregor Mendel through science and art]. Meteorologické zprávy, 55, 4, 125–126. (in Czech)

Krška, K, Šamaj, F. (2001): Dějiny meteorologie v českých zemích a na Slovensku [History of meteorology in the Czech lands and Slovakia]. Karolinum, Prague. (in Czech)

Munzar, J. (1998): Gregor Mendel and the tornado in Brno on 13th October 1870. Moravian Geographical Reports, 6, 1, 53–60.

Veselý, E. (1965): Památka na Gregora Mendela v archivu Hydrometeorologického ústavu [referenceS to Gregor Mendel in the archives of the Hydrometeorological Institute]. Meteorologické zprávy, 18, 2, 28–29. (in Czech)

Brázdil, R., Dobrovolný, P., Mikšovský, J., Pišoft, P., Trnka, M., Možný, M., and Balek, J. (2021): Documentary-based climate reconstructions in the Czech Lands 1501–2020 CE and their European context. Clim. Past Discuss.