The Stazione Zoologica at Naples has had a long and distinguished career since its opening in February 1874. The Stazione came into being through the inspiration and drive of Anton Dohrn, a man remarkable for the originality of his ideas and for the tenacity with which he strove to secure their fruition. Anton Dohrn was a German : he built the Stazione Zoologica in Italy with funds provided by himself and by men and organizations of many nationalities; the Stazione was international in origin. After its foundation, the Stazione was in part supported by funds derived from its show-piece, the aquarium, and in part from the now famous ‘table’ system, whereby many countries rented working-space and facilities for scientific research within its walls. That the international character of the Stazione Zoologica has been preserved intact despite two world wars, is a tribute to the principles on which it was founded. Few, if any, scientific laboratories have so striking an international flavour; and this is the more remarkable when one considers the major historical trends during the years subsequent to the Stazione’s foundation. An active ‘ neutral ’ diplomacy throughout these years has successfully, though sometimes precariously, avoided the pitfalls of unilateral allegiance. In times of peace, an international organism requires to be assiduously tended in order that it may thrive: in times of war, it needs to be fiercely and stubbornly protected so that it may survive. Zoologists the world over may well feel content that their common heritage has been not merely preserved, but also that it flourishes as strongly as though it were some new-born offspring of post-war international cooperation.
Pioneering Studies on Cephalopod's Eye and Vision at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (1883-1977)