General embryological information service - HPS Repository

Communications of the ,.International Institute of Embryology
(Section of Developmental Biology ol the I.U.B.S.)
The I. I.E. announces with great regret the death of its fellow A. J. P. van
den Broek (February 1961) and of its member T. Perri (October 1960).
The Symposium to be held in September 1964 in the U.S.A. will deal with
aspects of organogenesis. A full program will be published later.
This year it is 50 years since the I. I.E. was founded. The last General
Assembly asked the undersigned to prepare a short survey of the history of
the I. I.E. This survey follows below.
"L'INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL D'EMBRYOLOGIE"
(1911—1961)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the I. I.E. it seems desirable to
present a short survey of the history of this Institution in the course of
half a century. This history acquires a wider perspective against the background
of the development of the science of embryology, a background which
may enable one to judge to what extent the I. I.E. has fulfilled its purposes
till the present day, and in what respects its present form of organisation and
its activities can be better adapted to its aims for the future.
The initiative for the foundation of the "Institut International d'Embryologie"
was due to the embryologists A. A. W. Hubrecht, A. Keibel, and
R. Assheton; the actual foundation took place in Utrecht, at the Zoolog-
ical Institute, on the 4th of June, 1911. The I.I.E. was founded as an international,
private and purely scientific organisation, which, as a consequence
of the special interests of its founders, was originally devoted exclusively to
the study of comparative embryology of the vertebrates, and more particularly
of those mammals which, owing to the increase and expansion of the human
population, were in danger of soon becoming extinct. Moreover, the I.I.E.
intended to create international relations between workers in this field, and
to facilitate the scientific work of its members by making provision for the
admission of non-scientific corresponding members, who could render
their help in supplying the necessary embryonic material 1 ). Finally, the
I.I.E. intended to collect funds for the establishment of orderly collections of
embryonic material, again of rare mammalian species in particular; collections
which were to be brought together in international centres, where they would
be at the disposal of all qualified embryologists.
According to its original statutes the I.I.E. consisted of honorary members,
ordinary members, supporting members and corresponding members. The number
of honorary members was restricted to 20, that of ordinary members to
40; at the initial meeting in Utrecht 18 honorary members and 40 ordinary
members were nominated.
M It must be admitted that this objective was a rather opportunistic one.
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