Wilhelm His

Born July 9, 1831, in Basel; died May 1, 1904, in Leipzig. German embryologist and anatomist. Professor at the universities of Basel (from 1857) and Leipzig (from 1872).

His’ first works were devoted to the anatomy and histology of the cornea, lymph glands, and cutaneous integuments, and also to craniology. He proposed a method of “reconstruction” of the structure of embryos by means of studying them in serial microscopic sections, for which purpose he introduced the microtome into embryological research in 1870. His developed the idea of “organ-forming zones” of the embryo, that is, zones that give rise to certain organs. He explained changes in the structure of the embryo by mechanical causes and attempted to simulate these changes.