title: Scientific animal breeding in Moravia before and after the rediscovery of Mendel's theory.
abstract: Leading Moravian sheep breeders, who joined with university professors and other educated citizens to form a Sheep Breeders' Society in 1814, looked to science to provide a reliable basis for breeding. Their activities reached a climax in the 1830s, when they defined and focused on heredity as the central research goal. Among the members taking part was Abbot Cyrill F Napp, who in 1843 would accept Mendel into the monastery. The contributions of Abbot Napp to the sheep breeders' view of heredity are here described. After 1900, when Moravian animal breeding sought to embrace Mendelism, in competition with other theories, a major influence was exerted by Jaroslav Krízenecký (1896-1964). In 1963, Krízenecký accepted responsibility for establishing the Mendel Museum (Mendelianum) in Brno as a vehicle for historical research into the origin and essence of Mendel's discovery.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Manchester University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Orel
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000266:history*; D000818:Animals; D005823:Genetics / Q000266:history*; D005858:Germany; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012756:Sheep / Q000235:genetics*