By RAY CAVANAUGH
Though science and religion are often pitted as rivals, a considerable number of Catholic clergy and religious have made important scientific contributions.
Among the foremost of such contributors was the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel, who conducted pea plant experiments that demonstrated the rules of heredity and how they determine an organism’s traits.
This July 20 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Born as Johann Mendel, he entered an ethnic German family living in Austrian Silesia (now part of the Czech Republic).
He grew up on the family farm, cultivating and grafting fruit trees. The Mendel family was never wealthy, and their financial situation worsened when the father suffered a serious injury while working in the forest.
The younger Mendel thrived at school and began studying philosophy at the University of Olmutz. Limited financial resources, however, eventually compelled him to withdraw.
He then joined the Augustinian order at St. Thomas Monastery in Brunn (now Brno in the Czech Republic). The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization relates how this monastery was well known as a center of scholarship, and that Mendel found additional inspiration in the monastery’s botanical garden. The monastery also bestowed on him the name “Gregor,” by which he is now so well known.
Upon receiving Ordination as a priest on August 6, 1847 (some sources say December 25, 1846), Mendel soon began working as a secondary school mathematics teacher.
He sought added teaching qualifications for natural history and physics. Curiously, though, he did not pass on either of his two examination attempts.
After studying for two additional years at the University of Vienna, Mendel returned to Brunn (Brno). There he worked for many years as a secondary school teacher.
In 1854, Mendel’s abbot authorized a major experiment on monastery grounds. This decision proved more important than anyone could have imagined.
Seeking to track the transmission of hereditary traits, Mendel worked with 34 variations of the edible pea, focusing on such clearly expressed traits as height, color, and the presence of wrinkles. His solid math background would serve him well in articulating the statistical relationships between these traits.
After conducting about a decade of research, Mendel began sending the results of his findings to colleagues and other professional contacts. For the most part, though, he went ignored. People failed to understand the significance.
Mendel published his research in 1866, only to meet with further indifference. Part of the problem was that his research paper’s title, “Experiments on Plant Hybridization,” was too mundane for its groundbreaking contents. Furthermore, he used notation that readers regarded as confusing.
Still, he had discovered the laws of inheritance and established a mathematical basis of genetics. He must have expected someone to take notice.
One can only imagine Mendel’s level of frustration. However, there is scant evidence of his true sentiments. It does not appear he ever wrote a diary. Also, his several-dozen surviving letters are concerned more with concrete issues and do not reveal much inner reflection.
Mendel was a talkative, stocky man with a good sense of humor, according to a 2015 article in the periodical Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine. This article adds how he “was deeply rooted in his Christian faith, and he passionately tried to convey his conviction and experience to others at any given occasion.”
In March 1868, Mendel began serving as his monastery’s abbot. The increased responsibilities of this position were an obstacle to further scientific research, as mounting administrative issues claimed more and more of his time.
Mendel began to suffer from kidney inflammation in 1883. He died on January 6, 1884, at age 61. In accordance with his requests, his body underwent dissection.
He had spent much of his final years on a conflict with the ruling Austrian authorities who placed copious taxes on his abbey (the authorities relaxed their policy soon after his death).
Despite such burdens, Mendel was not embittered. Soon before his death, he told a novice in their monastery how “the beautiful hours have outweighed the dark ones by far.”
At the same time, it must have been difficult for Mendel, who knew the significance of his scientific discovery, to go almost completely ignored.
He once told a friend, “Meine zeit wird kommen” (“My time will come”). Such a statement has many potential meanings. But in Mendel’s case, it likely pointed to his belief that future generations of scientists would acknowledge his work.
And he was right. The early twentieth century saw renowned British biologist William Bateson become a Mendelian supporter. Several other researchers from different countries soon followed. And as the middle of the twentieth century approached, Mendel’s work was at the forefront of study and discussion in the life sciences.
Its relevance has endured: The January 2022 issue of The American Biology Teacher relates how the field of research Mendel pioneered “lies at the center of current ethical debates about the future of humanity, the limits of science, and how best to employ our knowledge for betterment of the human condition.”
As Mendel’s bicentenary approaches, there are a few websites — such as gregormendel200.org and mendel200.muni.cz/en — dedicated to commemorating this monk who changed the world.
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