Early Life
Robert Remak was born on July 30, 1815, in Posen (modern-day Poznań, Poland), then part of Prussia, to an orthodox Jewish family. His father, Salomon Meier Remak, was a merchant and owner of a lottery office, and his mother, Frederica Caro, hailed from a lineage of scholarly Jewish figures. The family claimed to be descended from Rabbi Mose Cordovero, a 16th-century Cabbalist whose works influenced Jewish philosophy and theology (Kisch 1954).
Education
Remak’s early education began at home and in private schools. He excelled academically despite health challenges that interrupted his studies. In 1829, at age 14, his school principal praised his exceptional diligence and intellect (Kisch 1954). After recovering from a prolonged illness, he graduated from the prestigious Polish Royal Gymnasium in Posen in 1833, earning qualifications to attend any German university (Grzybowski and Pietrzak 2012; Kisch 1954). That same year, he enrolled at the University of Berlin, drawn to its burgeoning reputation for scientific excellence. There, he studied under luminaries like Johannes Müller, whose mentorship in anatomy and physiology deeply influenced his scientific career (Kampe and Schmiedebach 1989; Kisch 1954).
[Remak] was one of the most "astute observers, who had a well-earned reputation in the field of microscopic anatomy", which was most indebted to him for "considerable advances" - Johannes Müller
Remak's career path was marked by pioneering work in cell division, embryology, neurology, and dermatology. His contributions revolutionized modern biology and medicine, despite the challenges he faced due to discrimination.
Explore the Journey of Robert Remak
Family History and Legacy
Robert Remak's legacy of intellectual curiosity was carried forward by his descendants in the world of academia.
Robert Remak was born to Jewish parents in the Polish town of Poznań, where his father worked as a cigar merchant. He could not secure academic support for much of his life, and for many years struggled in general practice. Later on, he studied medicine in Berlin. Remak pursued embryology, pathology, and neurocytology research, often working in isolation (Pearce, 1996). He married Feodore Meyer and had two sons, Ernst Julius and Friedrich (Kisch 1954).
Remak was known by some as being aggressive and tireless when it came to his work (Zeidman 2020). Even when addressing the King of Prussia, Remak's confidence in his abilities and unwavering pride in his Jewish identity were evident (Kampe and Schmiedebach 1989).
Ernst Julius Remak
(1848-1912)
Son of Robert and Feodore Remak. Born on May 26, 1848. He became a neurologist and father to Robert Remak II, a mathematician.
Ernst Julius Remak pursued medicine in Berlin, graduating in 1870. His studies were briefly interrupted by the Prussian War, during which he served at the sieges of Strasbourg and Belfort. Afterward, he resumed his academic pursuits in Heidelberg under Heinrich Erb and later in Berlin under Karl Westphal at Charité Hospital.
He specialized in neurology, particularly in neuropathology of the peripheral nerves, following in his father’s footsteps. He became a professor of neurology at Berlin University in 1910. Among his contributions was an early description of the extensor plantar response, presented in 1893. This work preceded the more widely recognized Babinski sign, which was published in 1896. Ernst's account was noted for its precision and was published in “Neurologisches Centralblatt” in the same year (Pearce 1996).
Robert Erich Remak
(1888-1942)
Grandson of Robert Remak and son of Ernst Julius Remak. He was born into a family deeply connected to the University of Berlin, where three generations of Remaks made significant contributions to science and academia. Robert Remak II was a mathematician who earned his doctorate from the University of Berlin in 1911 under the mentorship of Ferdinand Frobenius, with H. A. Schwarz as the secondary professor. His dissertation led to his association with the "Wedderburn-Remak-Schmidt-Krull" theorem, which explores the decomposition of finite groups into direct products of irreducible factors.
Despite his contributions, his career faced numerous obstacles. In 1919 and again in 1923, his attempts to gain habilitation at the University of Berlin were rejected due to personal biases among faculty members rather than the quality of his work. Nevertheless, he remained active in the mathematical community, attending seminars, participating in colloquia, and publishing extensively on topics such as the geometry of numbers and mathematical honeycomb structures. Tragically, his life was cut short when he was murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz in 1942
(Segal 2003).
Career
After earning his medical degree in 1838, Remak became a physician practicing medicine while pursuing his research. Besides being a diligent and eager student in the different clinics, he spent most of his time in microscopy studies, then a new, promising and always fascinating field in medicine (Kisch 1954). He gained recognition for his expertise in microscopy and neuroanatomy. Despite his accomplishments, he was initially denied a teaching position at Berlin University due to anti-Jewish policies. To support himself, he taught microscopy privately and worked as a physician in Berlin (Kisch 1954; Zeidman 2020). In 1847, he was appointed as an Extraordinarius (unsalaried lecturer) at Berlin University (Zeidman 2020). This position allowed him to lecture on neuropathology and continue his research while maintaining his medical practice (Kisch 1954).
