Contribution to ecology. K.F. Steering wheel. Roulier paid much attention to the problems of acclimatization and domestication of new species of animals, as well as to the protection of nature

K.F. Steering wheel was born in 1814 in Nizhny Novgorod from parents of French origin. Roulier's father was a shoemaker, and his mother was a midwife (midwife). At first he was brought up at home, and then in private boarding houses of "poor hands".

Rulier lived in Moscow since 1829. In the same year he became a graduate of the Medical and Surgical Academy. After the transition to the third year in 1831, he became a student and studied with G. I. Fischer and A. L. Lovetsky. He graduated from the academy in 1833 as a doctor of the first department with the first silver medal.

Being forced to live by personal labor, Rulier entered the service as a doctor in the Ryazhsky dragoon regiment, where he remained until 1836. Medicine did not satisfy Rulier, and he gladly accepted the offer of the president of the Moscow Medical-Surgical Academy to be a tutor at the academy. In 1837 he defended his thesis "On hemorrhoids" and received a doctorate in medicine... After that, Rulier began to teach students mineralogy and zoology as an adjunct professor. At the same time he worked at the University Zoological Museum, curator since 1837, director since 1840. In 1840 he began to lecture on zoology at Moscow University. In 1842 he was approved as an extraordinary professor at the Department of Zoology, and in 1850 he became an ordinary professor.

In 1837 he was elected a member of the Moscow Society of Nature Experts and for several years was the secretary of the society.

Steering wheel was one of the first russian propagandists and popularizers of natural sciences... He actively read public lectures, founded and edited the popular science journal "Bulletin of Natural Sciences" (1854-1860). The steering wheel created the Russian scientific school of zoologists-evolutionists (N. A. Severtsov, A. P. Bogdanov and others).

KF Rulier actively worked in the field of geology and paleontology of the Moscow region, creating the basis for the development of evolutionary paleontology. He introduced comparative historical method of studying the organic world... Steering Works on Study instincts of animals and their mental activity laid the foundations of the evolutionary direction in zoopsychology.

The influence of external conditions on animals, the laws of the geographical distribution of animals, the periodic wandering of birds, the movement of fish against the stream during spawning, zooethics - these were the questions that Rulier was interested in. He considered the organism is not taken separately, but in connection with the world, which preceded its appearance, the influence on the organism of the environment in which its life takes place, a number of those changes and adaptations in the organs that this environment causes - all this was taken as the basis of the course of Rulier.

Rulier in 1852 laid the so-called ecological direction in zoogeography, which was further developed by N.A. Severtsov.

The merits of Karl Frantsevich Rulier before domestic science still have not received sufficient coverage and proper assessment. Meanwhile, Roulier worked a lot and fruitfully in three areas of natural science - zoology, paleontology and geology, each of which he enriched with new significant content.

In 1841, after returning from an overseas business trip, Roulier was not only dissatisfied and disappointed. He came with a clear and firm positive program, worked out for himself and his students in response to confusion and inconsistency in science and its teaching abroad. Pondering the content of such an article as "Doubts in Zoology as a Science", one involuntarily draws attention to one feature of the young scientist. This feature, so early manifested and preserved by him until the end of his life, is a tendency towards broad generalizations, towards the development of general problems of biology.

The fashionable passion for taxonomy at that time, which captured the vast majority of zoologists, almost did not affect Roulier. The way of life of animals, their relationship with the environment and other organisms, the influence of external conditions on the structure and behavior of animals - this is the sphere of interests of Rulier. From this naturally followed his deep interest in the changes in animals under the influence of the environment, in questions of the variability of heredity. The materiality of nature, its real existence does not cause doubts in Rulier. All natural phenomena have their own history. Each of them once arose naturally, then it develops, mutates, and gives rise to another phenomenon. All objects of nature are closely, inextricably linked with each other, change, development of one necessarily entails a change, development of the other.

The cornerstone of the science of the life of plants and animals is considered by Roulier the "law of the effectiveness of life principles" put forward and developed by him ("the law of communication", "the law of the duality of causes", etc.). All organisms obey this universal law, which Rulier is inclined to extend to inanimate nature. “Any phenomenon in an animal body can be caused by a cause of two kinds - either by the conditions of the structure and life of the animal itself, or by external conditions in the midst of which it lives. There can be no more reasons. " “Not a single organic creature lives by itself: each is called to life and lives only insofar as it is in interaction with a relatively external world for him. This is the law of communication or duality of life principles, showing that every living creature gets the opportunity to live a part of itself, a part of the exterior. "

The course in general zoology, which Roulier gave to students of the natural and mathematical departments, covered a very wide range of issues. It was a kind of encyclopedia of biological knowledge under the general title "Systematics", which included such sections as "Zoognosy", "Zooetics" and "Zoobiology".

Roulier begins his exposition of zoognosy by formulating his "The first basic genetic law".

This is the "law of communication" that has universal significance. Deciphering the first law, Roulier identifies a number of particular provisions arising from it. 1. In the process of development of an animal from an egg ("environment of indifference"), there is a gradual complication, differentiation, and specialization of organs. "This is the law of separating or separating tools." 2. Each organ in its development goes through a series of stages, therefore ". All animals, having essentially the same tools, must pass the same, successive rows relative to the development of the latter, and the longer, the more numerous, than they themselves stand at the highest point of organization." Each given state of a developing organ in higher animals can and should be the limit of its development in lowly organized ones. But, as if anticipating a much later criticism of the "Basic Biogenetic Law" of Müller-Haeckel, Roulier immediately notes that in the embryonic development of man, the situation is far from so simple. At the moment when any organ in a human embryo is at the stage of a fish or a reptile, all other organs may be at completely different stages. Finally, two more particular laws are noted - an organ can underdevelop ("the law of delay and stop development") and an organ cannot overdevelop ("the law of impossible overdevelopments").

"The second basic genetic law"

The law of convergence of homogeneous elements. It addresses issues such as symmetry, cavity formation, and centripetal organ laying.

Karl Frantsevich Rulier (FR.Carl (Karl) Rouillier (Rouille); 1814-1858) - biologist, paleontologist. Tenured Professor of Moscow University (1842).

Biography

Born on April 8 (20), 1814 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. His father was a shoemaker, and his mother was a midwife (midwife) - a family of French origin. At first he was brought up at home, and then in private boarding houses of "poor hands".

In 1829 he moved to Moscow and entered the Medical and Surgical Academy. After the transition to the third year in 1831, he became a student and studied with G.I. Fischer and A.L. Lovetsky. He graduated from the academy in 1833 as a doctor of the first department with the first silver medal.

Being forced to live by personal labor, Rulier entered the service as a doctor in the Ryazhsky dragoon regiment, where he remained until 1836. Medicine did not satisfy Rulier, and he gladly accepted the offer of the president of the Moscow Medical-Surgical Academy to be a tutor at the academy. In 1837 he defended his thesis "On hemorrhoids" and received a doctorate in medicine. After that, Roulier began teaching students mineralogy and zoology as an adjunct professor. At the same time he worked at the University Zoological Museum, curator since 1837, director since 1840. In 1840 he began to lecture on zoology at Moscow University. In 1842 he was approved as an extraordinary professor at the Department of Zoology, and in 1850 he became an ordinary professor.

In 1837 he was elected a member of the Moscow Society of Nature Experts and for several years was the secretary of the society.

Roulier was one of the first Russian propagandists and popularizers of the natural sciences. He actively read public lectures, founded and edited the popular science journal "Bulletin of Natural Sciences" (1854-1860). Rulier created the Russian scientific school of evolutionary zoologists (N. A. Severtsov, A. P. Bogdanov, etc.).

Scientific activity

KF Rulier actively worked in the field of geology and paleontology of the Moscow region, creating the basis for the development of evolutionary paleontology. He introduced the comparative-historical method of studying the organic world. Roulier's work on the study of animal instincts and their mental activity laid the foundations of the evolutionary direction in zoopsychology.

The influence of external conditions on animals, the laws of the geographical distribution of animals, the periodic wandering of birds, the movement of fish against the stream during spawning, zooethics - these were the questions that Rulier was interested in. He considered the organism not taken separately, but in connection with the world that preceded its appearance, the influence on the organism of the environment in which his life takes place, a number of those changes and adaptations in the organs that this environment causes - all this was the basis of the course Steering wheel.

Major works

• Rul'e K.F. About the influence of external conditions on the life of animals // Library for education. 1845. Part 2. S. 190-220; Part 3.S. 51-86.
• Rul'e K. F. The life of animals in relation to external conditions: three publ. lectures delivered by ordinary professor K. Rulier in 1851 - M.: Mosk. un-t, 1852 .-- 121 p.
• Rulier K. F. Selected biological works / ed., With comments. and after. L. Sh. Davitashvili, S. R. Mikulinsky. - M.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1954 .-- 688 p.
• Steering K. F. Zoobiology // Raikov B. Ye. Russian evolutionary biologists before Darwin: materials for the history of the evolutionary idea in Russia. M.; L.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1955.Vol. 3.S. 437-604. [the manuscript is kept in the Department of Manuscripts Scientific Library MSU]

The talented Russian scientist Karl Frantsevich Roulye could get ahead of Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace in creating the theory of evolution. He came to conclusions about the role of natural selection in the formation of species much earlier than the famous British. Alas, the conservatism and obscurantism of Russian officials prevented him from publishing the results of his research.

The talented Russian scientist Karl Frantsevich Roulier could get ahead of Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace in creating the theory of evolution. He came to conclusions about the role of natural selection in the formation of species much earlier than the famous British. Alas, the conservatism and obscurantism of Russian officials prevented him from publishing the results of his research.

There is no doubt that science has no nationality. Therefore, any discovery does not belong to any particular people, but is the property of all mankind. However, this is not at all a reason to deprive each nation of the right to be proud of its scientists - and to regret if the powers that be prevented them from making another discovery.

No one disputes that the theory of the evolution of all living things by natural selection, formulated and proven by two British biologists, Charles Erasmus Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace, played a large role in the development of scientific thought of the last century. It was she who became the main theoretical basis not only in biology, but also in astronomy, geology and even computer science (all these disciplines also recognize natural selection as the main mechanism of any development). Many believe that 1859, when Darwin and Wallace presented their research to the scientific community, marked the beginning of a new era in the history of natural sciences.

However, this fundamental theory could become known to people several years earlier. And in this case another person would be considered its author - Karl Frantsevich Rulier. Despite the strange name, patronymic and surname, he was our compatriot with you - he was born, lived and worked in Russian Empire... And it was precisely the inertia and ignorance of the authorities of this empire that prevented the brilliant scientist and talented teacher from realizing his plans. But let's talk about everything in order.

The future explorer of nature was born in 1814 in Nizhny Novgorod. His parents, descendants of French immigrants, did not belong to the scientific community: his father was a shoemaker and his mother was a midwife. After studying at the boarding school, Rulie entered the Medical and Surgical Academy, from which he graduated with honors.

Then the future scientist served for several years as a doctor in the Ryazhsky dragoon regiment. However, medicine was not very attractive for the young man - he was more interested in zoology and geology. Therefore, in 1837 he gladly accepted the offer of the President of the Moscow Medical and Surgical Academy to be a tutor for this educational institution... In the same year, Rulier defended his doctoral dissertation and received the right to teach natural sciences to the students of the Academy - botany, zoology and mineralogy.

Everyone who heard his lectures spoke of them as something extraordinary. Karl Frantsevich did not just retell the course program outlined in the manuals to the students - he constantly arranged discussions, illustrated lectures with examples from his own research and, in the opinion of many, all this awakened in the hearts of the listeners a sincere interest in learning about the world around him. They started talking about the new teacher in 1840: Rulier was invited to the Moscow state University... Two years later he was approved as a professor at the Department of Zoology. This allowed him not only to work with students, but also to engage in research.

Since the early 1840s, Karl Frantsevich and his students conducted geological and paleontological surveys of the Moscow region and introduced a lot of new things into the study of fossils. The result of this work was his book "On the Animals of the Moscow Province" (1845). But his interests were not limited to this - Roulier studied the relationship of living things with the environment, seasonal phenomena in wildlife, proposed projects for the acclimatization of various animals and plants useful to humans in Russia, described new species and compiled very valuable collections. There seemed to be no branch in biology that would not interest him.

Moreover, Karl Frantsevich was not only a brilliant scientist, but also an outstanding popularizer of science. He read public lectures, which attracted almost all Moscow youth (for example, A.I. Herzen highly appreciated them in his memoirs). The future great physiologist, discoverer of unconditioned reflexes, I. M. Sechenov, who attended them in his student years, wrote: "Then the enthusiasm was directed towards the professor of zoology Rulier, who loved to philosophize at lectures and read very eloquently." Karl Frantsevich brought up many talented Russian zoologists, among whom were N.A. Severtsov, A.P. Bogdanov, N.N. Kaufman.

In addition to teaching, Karl Frantsevich headed the Moscow Society of Nature Experts for several years. While holding the post of secretary of the Moscow Institute of Natural Sciences, he founded the first in Russia regular scientific journal "Bulletin of Natural Sciences", whose editor-in-chief remained until his death. This journal published articles on a variety of disciplines - biology, geology, medicine, physics and chemistry. It was considered very honorable to post your publication there - it meant the recognition of the work by the entire scientific community. Foreign scientists gave the Vestnik the highest marks.

Among the Moscow inhabitants, however, Roulier had a reputation as an eccentric. And all because this scientist could, while walking, freely start a conversation with a janitor, street peddler or artisan and begin to explain to him the structure of living nature as exciting and ardent as to his students. Every day he arranged such impromptu "excursions", neglecting social receptions and visits to the powers that be. Well, these strongest ones do not like such things ...

Since 1847, articles have appeared in the press that can hardly be called other than attacks. The scientist was accused of corrupting young people, promoting free-thinking and atheism (and this despite the fact that Karl Frantsevich treated religion with great respect). At first, Rulier ignored it. However, the reaction was quick - the scientist was refused home by many aristocrats, whose children he taught the natural sciences. And for Karl Frantsevich, who, unlike the heir to a large fortune Charles Darwin, lived only on a university salary, this was a serious blow.

However, the scientist did not lose heart and continued his research. In the end, summarizing and comparing paleontological data with the results of his observations of wildlife, Roulier came to the same conclusion as Charles Darwin later. He realized that all living things are forced to constantly adapt to conditions environment in order to survive and leave offspring. And it is precisely as a result of such adaptations that new species appear. And those who could not do this are dying out.

In fact, Karl Frantsevich formulated the theory of evolution a few years earlier than Darwin and Wallace (back in the early 1950s). True, he did not use the term "natural selection", but he described the mechanism of its action quite accurately. Rulier outlined all his discoveries in the book "The Life of Animals in Relation to External Conditions", which he finished in 1852. However, before submitting it to print, he, according to the custom of that time, decided to anticipate its publication of articles, in which he briefly stated his theory.

This article, entitled "On the first appearance of plants and animals on earth", was published in the newspaper "Moskovskie vedomosti" in early 1852. After that, having familiarized himself with it (as well as with a lot of denunciations, where Karl Frantsevich's lectures were described), the Minister of Public Education, Prince P.A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov sent on January 18 of the same year a circular letter to the trustee of the Moscow educational district V.I. Nazimov, in which he demanded to suspend the teaching activities of the godless professor. "The rudder, one might think, As if he himself were present at the Creation - he so confidently expounds his theory," the minister sarcastically.

After that, the persecution of the scientist began, to which, in addition to ministerial and police officials, conservative journalists and church figures (for example, Moscow Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov)) also joined. The editor of Moskovskiye Vedomosti received a severe reprimand. Roulier's book was delayed. The rector and dean of Moscow University received an order for "strict and unremitting supervision of university lectures" by Rulier. In addition, the trustee of the Moscow educational district, General V. I. Nazimov, was asked "to pay special attention to the teaching of this professor, visiting unexpectedly and listening attentively to his lectures."

In addition, unofficial supervision was established for the "dangerous" professor, his articles were not accepted in the newspapers, and secret agents appeared at the lectures, tirelessly writing down Roulier's every word. According to the students of Karl Frantsevich, the time has come for him "severe nervous torment." It should be noted that the scientist was distinguished by impressionability and at the same time was in poor health. He began to feel more and more unwell, but he continued to fight for the publication of his book. Alas, the victory was not destined for him ...

In the spring of 1858, after four years of severe persecution and fruitless attempts to defend his innocence, Karl Frantsevich died of a stroke (or, as they said, an apoplectic stroke) while walking. He was only 44 years old. Many of his works have remained unpublished and have come down to us only thanks to the efforts of Rulier's students.

The same book, which he considered to be his main work, remained on the banned lists until the mid-1860s. Then she was able to see the light, but it was too late - a year after the death of Karl Frantsevich, the whole world learned about the theory of evolution by natural selection from the works of Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace. The entire scientific world had the names of the pioneers of a new era in biology on their lips. And no one, except for the devoted students, remembered their predecessor - Karl Frantsevich Rulie ...

So the "efforts" of conservatives and obscurantists prevented russian science get priority in creating evolutionary theory. And in general, many biological disciplines - after all, Roulier formulated the doctrine of the interaction between the environment and the organism long before the German botanist Suss introduced the term "ecology" into use. Such a discipline as zoopsychology also began with the work of Karl Frantsevich (although usually its emergence is associated with Darwin's research, made much later).

Time has put everything in its place. Few people now remember the names of those stranglers of free thought who persecuted the outstanding scientist. And the name of Karl Frantsevich Rulier is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Russian natural science. However, although justice has triumphed, it is still a shame for the state.

Russian natural scientist and evolutionist. From 1840 he was a professor at Moscow University, at the same time he worked at the University Zoological Museum (from 1837 its curator, from 1840 director).

Russian natural scientist and evolutionist. From 1840 he was a professor at Moscow University, at the same time he worked at the University Zoological Museum (since 1837 its curator, since 1840 director).

He created a holistic evolutionary concept, considering the impact of the changing external environment on the organism as the main factor of evolution. One of the founders of the Russian ecological zoogeography: “ Daily experience shows that animals live freely only in the midst of certain environmental conditions to which they are constantly applied by their organization. This application is of two kinds: either it is transmitted to the animal by nature itself, or it is conditioned by the constantly continuing action of external conditions: either the animal chooses an external condition that is appropriate for its organization, or external conditions change the organization of the animal according to itself. In each of these cases, however, the organization is maintained unchanged only when certain conditions are in effect, and not others, so that the law of the animal's communication with the outside world remains in full force. The conditions affecting the organization of an animal are varied. For a convenient overview of their various applications, they are divided into two groups. On the nearest, directly influencing the animal, or physical, and on those that are themselves determined by geographical terms. Hence, they accept for the kind of accommodation: physical or dwelling place (statio) and geographical or location (habitatio). " (Roule, 1955, pp. 498–499) Distinguishing between “abode” and “location,” R. distinguishes between ecological and geographic distribution. Differentiates ecological and historical zoogeography (Roulier, 1852).

Major works:

Steering K.F. On the influence of external conditions on the life of animals // Library for education. 1845. Part 2. P. 190–220; Part 3.P. 51–86.

Steering K.F. Animal life in relation to external conditions: three publ. lectures, cheat. ordinary professor K. Rulie in 1851 - M.: Mosk. un-t, 1852 .-- 121 p.

Steering K.F. Selected biological works / ed., With comments. and after. L. Sh. Davitashvili, S.R. Mikulinsky. - M.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1954 .-- 688 p.

Steering K.F. Zoobiology // Raikov B.E. Russian evolutionary biologists before Darwin: materials for the history of the evolutionary idea in Russia. M.; L.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1955. T. 3. P. 437–604. [cited according to the handbook stored in the Department of Manuscripts and Incunabula of the Scientific Library of Moscow State University]

Bibliography:

Bogdanov A.P. Karl Frantsevich Rul'e and his predecessors in the Department of Zoology at the Imperial Moscow University // Izv. Islands of lovers of natural science, anthropology and ethnography. 1885.Vol. 43, no. 2.215 p.

Raikov B.E. Russian evolutionary biologists before Darwin: materials for the history of the evolutionary idea in Russia. T. 3. - M.; L.: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1955 .-- 644 p.

Mikulinsky S.R. Karl Franzowicz Rulier, 1814-1858: scientist, man and teacher. -. - M.: Nauka, 1989 .-- 285 p.

Mikulinsky S.R. K.F. Steering wheel and his doctrine of the development of the organic world. –M. : Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1957 .-- 355 p.

Johanzen B.G., Koshtoyants Kh.S., Melnikov G.B., Nikolsky G.V. In memory of Karl Frantsevich Rul'e: (to the centenary of his death) // Scientific. report higher. shk. Biol. science. 1958. No. 2. P. 7–9.