Ludwig Rütimeyer
Rütimeyer, Ludwig
Born Feb. 26, 1825, in Biglen, near the city of Bern; died Nov. 26, 1895, in Basel. Swiss paleontologist. Professor at the University of Basel (from 1855). Corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1882).
Rütimeyer’s principal works dealt with fossil mammals and the origin of domesticated animals. He was one of the first paleontologists to accept C. Darwin’s theory. While acknowledging the role of natural selection as a factor in evolution, Rüti-meyer assumed the existence of a striving for improvement, particularly with respect to human evolution.