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Carl Zeiss was born in Weimar on September 11, 1816. His mother’s name was Friederike (1786–1856), née Schmith (Figure 1). His father August Zeiss (1785–1849) was a respected artistic wood turner who turned mother-of-pearl, amber, ivory, and other raw materials into luxury goods and toys. Carl attended the local grammar school. He was interested in technical things from an early age and attended lessons at the Grand Duchy’s vocational college in Weimar during his school days before deciding to become a mechanic [1].
Figure 1
Carl Zeiss aged 50, 1866 (ZEISS archives).
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To achieve this goal he went to Jena where, at Easter 1834, he began an apprenticeship under Dr. Friedrich Körner, court mechanic and private lecturer at the University of Jena (1778–1847). From the second year of his apprenticeship onward, he attended lectures on mathematics and the natural sciences at the university. After completing his apprenticeship, Carl Zeiss initially devoted his attention to mechanical engineering. From 1838 to 1845 he became a traveling tradesman, and his journeys took him to such destinations as Stuttgart, Darmstadt, and Berlin. He returned to Jena in 1845.
Biologist Matthias Schleiden (1804–1881) had been working in Jena since 1839 (Figure 2). He was one of the developers of the cell theory, which states that all life is made up of cells. This theory turned the microscope into an indispensable tool for biologists, physicians, and hygienists. The need for such instruments in research and teaching, but also for doctors’ surgeries and in the food industry, would henceforth grow steadily.
Figure 2
Matthias Jakob Schleiden from the book Studien: Populäre Vorträge, 1855.
[Figure omitted. See PDF]
The first chapter of Schleiden’s popular work Die Pflanze und ihr Leben, published in several editions after 1848, was titled Das Auge und das Mikroskop. In it, Schleiden delves into the significance of the microscope for biology: “The microscope is the necessary instrument without which the botanist can expect to make no advances in his scientific endeavors.” Further on, he states, “Our century was destined to make use of the possibilities afforded by the microscope in the study of nature, and it is very pleasing to see how the application of this instrument opens ever more doors...