Facts about Emil Racovita

Facts about Emil Racovita

Emil Racovita was born in Iasi (Romania) on November 15, 1868. He spent his childhood at Soranesti, Vaslui county, in the family estate. He was educated in Iasi under the guidance of professor and writer Ion Creanga and afterwards he continued high school at "Institutele Unite", where he learned the basics of natural sciences from Grigore Cobalcescu, who knew how to implant passion for the knowledge of nature.

Following his father's wish he attended Law School in Paris, but following his own vocation he graduated from the Faculty of Science in Sorbonne where he learned zoology with an excelent professor, Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers. After his graduation in 1891, he obtained in 1896 a remarkable doctor degree, which made him well-known among European scientists.

As a recognition of his scientific merits, he was selected to participate as a biologist in the Belgium Antarctic Expedition (1897-1899) on board the" Belgica", headed by Adrien de Gerlache. He accomplished his mission brilliantly, coming back with a collection of 1,600 botanical and zoological speciments. Soon after he returned he published a consistent work about Cetacea. He is known to be one of the initiators of ethological researchers.

On November 1st, 1900, as Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers decided to find someone to succed him, Emil Racovita was appointed assistant-director of the oceanological laboratory "Arago" from Banyuls-sur-Mer, which was founded twenty years earlier by his professor. In 1901 he became joint menager of the review "Archieves de Zoologie experimentale et generale" also a creation of that erudite scientist.

Following the discovery of a new species of cave crustaceans in the famous Cueva del Drach on the island of Majorca, which he had visited in August 1904, Racovita gave up his oceanological researchers and fully devoted himself to the biological study of the subterranean realm. In 1907 he published "Essai sur les problemes biospeologiques" which is considered to be the birth certificate of biospeleology (cave biology) as an independent science. At the same time he initiated an extensive international research program called "Biospeologica" (primarily intending to document and collect cave fauna). This, initially private activity, got an official frame in 1920 when Racovita, volunteered to get involved himself in the organization of the Romanian University of Cluj, returned to his native country and founded in the capital of Transylvania the world's first Speleological Institute.

The results of his biospeleological program are altogether exceptional: 1,200 caves explored in Europa and Africa, a collection including 50,000 cave animals, 66 published papers on subterranean fauna totalling almost 6,000 pages. Biology has never known such a remarkable concentration of forces, as that initiated by Racovita to approach his goal: the understanding of the natural history of the subterranean domain.

The two decades spent by Racovita in Cluj until the beginning of the war were characterized by an extraordinary diversification of his offices. He was a senator (representing the University of Cluj) in 1922-1926, Rector of the University of Cluj (1929-1930), president of the Romanian Academy of Sciences (1926-1929), Director of the Speleological Institute (1920-1947), and member of various scientific associations. His contributions to the study of isopode crustaceans and his advocacy campains for the protection of the environment are remarkable. The climax of his scientific career was the elaboration of an original theory on evolution.

In August 1940, the Vienna Dictate forced the Faculty of Sciences and, together with it, the Speleological Institute to take refuge in Timisoara. During four long years, the scientific activity ceased altogether. Immediatly after his return in Cluj, Emil Racovita strived to reorganize his institute, but it was too late: on November 17th 1947, the great scientist passed away. The man disappeared, but his work lives for ever, as it is the outcome of a strong spirit which shall not be forgotten.

This text was compiled by Dr. Gheorghe Racovita