MENDEL, Johann Gregory, abbot of Brfinn, now known as the discoverer of the law named after him (see HEREDITY) : b. Hein zendorf bei Ad,rau, Austrian Silesia, 22 July 1822, of peasant parents; d. 6 Jan. 1884. In 1843 he entered the KOniginkloster, an Augus tinian foundation in Altbriinn, as a novice; and was ordained priest in 1847. From 1851-53 he studied natural science at Vienna; and, on his return to the cloister, taught in the Realschule. About 1869 he became abbot of Briinn; and later took part in the Ultramontane movement. It was in 1854 that he began those experiments, on Pisum, in the cloister gardens, that, after the lapse of half a century, have brought him posthumous fame. In 1865 he contributed his now memorable paper Wersuche fiber Pflan to the Society of Naturalists of Brfinn; and, in 1869, another, on Hieracium hybrids. After 1869 he seems to have discon tinued his work in hybridizing, and died un recognized by science. This seems inexplica ble, as his researches were of a nature to com mend them to his studious contemporaries, among them Darwin, who entirely missed his contribution,even though the Briinn society exchanged with the Royal Society of London.
But Mendel had the satisfaction of realizing that he had established a law in heredity as to the numerical ratios of the types developed in hybridizing— the grand fact for which we now prize his unobtrusive labors. His theories have given us the word Mendelism. He called himself a student of Kollar ; and for some time he was president of the Briinn society. Since the verification of his experiments, simultane ously, in 1900, by De Vries, in Holland, rens, in Germany, and Tschermak, in Austria,, and of the translation of his paper appearing in the 'Journal of the Royal Horticultural Soci ety of England) (1901), the literature has been full of "Mendel's Law.° Consult Bateson, W., Principles of Heredity' (Cam bridge 1902).