La Genèse et l’Histoire de l’Institut de Zoologie de l’Université de Liège

In the second half of the 19th century, biology took an exponential growth especially in Germany. On the other hand, the parution of « The Origin of Species » in 1859 started a mental revolution. At the border between the Latin and German worlds, Belgium was involved in these drastics changes. Distinguished Belgian scientists went to Germany to improve their knowledge and to plan a better future for the university education. The history of the Zoological Institute of Liège is an illustration of these trends. At Liège university, leaders carried out a more and more incisive battle to get out of the rut. Several institute were finally built in 1881-84 but the presumptious « Palais des Bêtes » remained in question. In 1885, Edouard Van Beneden who had discovered meiosis two years before, threatened to leave Liège for the university of Prague. To avoid this clash, the catholic government surrended. The erection of the zoological institute was completed in 1888. Van Beneden who was an unyielding fighter, crowned his victory by placing his institute under the regis of his hero : the bust of Charles Darwin was installed at the center of the main pediment.

The contribution of Edouard Van Beneden in the developpement of the science of life.

Son of the great systematist Pierre-Joseph (l809-94) who taught zoology at the catholic University of Louvain, Edouard Van Beneden was a pragmatist who hesitated at first between a career as engineer or as biologist. After two years at the University, he chose the second option. He was more interested in physiology and general biology. His first major study dealt with the formation of the female sexual cell in the animal kingdom. This work confered him immediately a prominent reputation. He pursued this line of research in Liège. But as he was according to E. Fuchs "ein sehr geistreichen Mann", he looked for a more propitious material than the rabbit or the bats. He found a parasitic worm of the intestine of the horse called Ascaris megalocephala. This choice let him finally to the discovery of meiosis in 1883 (cf. Hamoir,1994). He made also two other prominent contributions in the eighties. He published a general account of his research on the "corpuscule central" in 1887 ; this cellular organite was called centrosome one year later by Boveri. The other one was made in collaboration with his pupil Julin. They brought in 1884-86 an admirable study on cell-lineage showing that the axes of the larvae of runicates may be already identified in the unsegmented egg. From a more general point of view, his passionate dedication to science made him a living image of the scientist of his time as well as the Belgian colour-bearer of the theory of evolution.