Kollmann, Julius, 1834-1918

Julius Kollmann (24 February 1834, Holzheim am Forst – 24 June 1918, Basel) was a German anatomist, zoologist and anthropologist. He studied at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin, then furthered his education in London and Paris. In 1859, he received his doctorate, qualifying as lecturer at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in 1862. Beginning in 1878, he served as a full professor of anatomy at the University of Basel. In 1888, he was chosen as university rector. Known for his work in the fields of descriptive anatomy and histology, he eventually became associated with studies involving evolutionary theory, developmental history and anthropology. In 1884 Kollmann introduced the term "neoteny" to define the transformation process where animals such as newts mature sexually while still in the larval form. As an anthropologist, he conducted analyses of prehistoric skulls found at Auvernier and Schweizersbild.