Stettin Entomological Society

The Entomological Society of Stettin (German: Entomologischer Verein zu Stettin) or Stettin Entomological Society, based in Stettin (Szczecin), was one of the leading entomological societies of the 19th century. Most German entomologists were members, as were many from England, Sweden, Italy, France, and Spain. The society had very large collections and a very comprehensive library.

This first German entomological society was formed in 1839. Following the death at age 39 of its first and short-lived president, Dr. Wilhelm Ludwig Ewald Schmidt, Carl August Dohrn (1806-1892), a lifelong resident of the then Prussian town of Stettin, became its second president. He was elected at an anniversary meeting on 5 November 1843. Having acted as secretary of the society for the previous four years, he continued in this role, and that of president, for the next forty.

Under Dohrn's presidency the society became as important as the entomological societies of London and Paris. As in these countries, the society reflected the growing professionalism during the second half of the 19th century, necessitating specialisation. Specialisation was accompanied by a rise in technical standards of argument and presentation and a tendency toward the use of learned jargon. There were differences, however, as German universities and academies became increasingly advanced relative to those of England and France, organising seminars (with their published proceedings) and encouraging early publication of, for instance, the Ph.D. dissertation, the academic "program" and the technical monograph. Also, after about 1850, any entomologist who wished to keep abreast of developments in his subject had to be able to read at least English, French, German, Italian, and, in some cases, Swedish. Latin and Greek were indispensable. Far fewer entomologists in England and France were multilingual than in Germany. The Irish entomologist Alexander Henry Haliday, an early member of the society, was a notable exception.

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