Prof. Dr. Muhtar BASOGLU

Obituary

Prof. Dr. Muhtar BASOGLU, first Turkish scientific herpetologist, was born 1913 at Odemis near Izmir. In 1932 he enrolled, and in 1936 he graduated at the Natural Sciences Section of the Science Faculty of the Istanbul University, where, after his military service, he was appointed assistant in 1941. There, on behalf of his thesis "Sur le métabolisme de la corde nerveuse du ver de terre", BASOGLU was promoted Doctor of Zoology.

Guided by the German Professor Curt KOSSWIG, who, at that time, was teaching at the Istanbul University, BASOGLU translated in 1946 BODENHEIMER's "Introduction into the knowledge of Amphibia and Reptilia of Turkey (1944)", into Turkish. From then onward BASOGLU became an engaged herpetologist, and his publication "Experiments on the composition of the alveolar air in Testudo graeca and Clemmys rivulata" helped him to become associate professor.

There followed some years of intense studies at various centers of scientific herpetology in Europe, and, in 1958, BASOGLU undertook, together with Professor W. HELLMICH of Munich, a fruitful research trip to Eastern Anotolia near Lake Van.

In 1961 we find Prof. BASOGLU amongst the founders of the Science Faculty of the Ege (=Aegean) University in Bornova-Izmir, and, from then till 1981 he chaired the Department of Systematic Zoology there.

During all these years his research work was devoted to herpetology, and, together with six doctors of zoology, raised by BASOGLU himself, he founded and organized the first "Turkish Herpetological Centre" at the Ege University. This institute now has brought together a large and comprehensive herpetological collection of more than 20000 specimens, including material of every taxon of amphibians and reptiles living in Turkey. Since then, one of the above mentioned six doctors was appointed to the Istanbul University (now retired), the other five have become full proffesors, one of which is now at the 9 Eylül University, the remaining four are still with the Biology Section of the Science Faculty-Ege University.

BASOGLU also is the founder of the "Animal Physiology Laboratory" at the Department of Systematic Zoology (now Department of Zoology).

During his last 20 years Professor Dr. Muhtar BASOGLU and his team studied the herpetofauna of Turkey, and, summing up the results of these concentrated efforts, he published three books:

"The Amphibians of Turkey" (1973, with Professor Dr. N. ÖZETI)

"The Reptiles of Turkey, Part I, The Turtles and Lizards" (1977), and "Part II, The Snakes" (1980), the last two in cooperation with Professor Dr. I. BARAN; all the three are writen in Turkish, but each has an ample summary in English too. - BASOGLU's most spectacular report certainly was on the discovery of the African Soft-Shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, in Southwestern Anatolia, but he also was deeply engaged in the study of the Lykian Salamander, Mertersiella luschani (STEINDACHNER), as is shown by the list of taxa he described as new to science:

BASOGLU had widespread scientific, and often very cordial personal relations with colleagues in many countries. The following taxa have been named in his honour:

Personally BASOGLU was liked very much, everywhere, and also highly esteemed for his prevailing quiet friendliness and modesty, as well as for his readiness to grant full aid to every colleague and student, be it in scientific projects or in personal problems. Amongst his students he enjoyed great popularity and respect not only for his kindness of heart but also for his enthusiastic and efficient teaching of zoology.

Since 1941 BASOGLU was maried happily with Finat Hanim, their only son, Dr. Serif BASOGLU is a geologist.- While the deceased was in good health up to 1980, his approaching ilness certainly was badly accelerated by the shock he received through his wife's death, October 29th, 1980.

Thus the untimely death of Professor Dr. Muhtar BASOGLU on February 21st, 1981 ended the career of an outstanding herpetologist and distinguished teacher, whose lifelong ideal was to raise and form a group of zoologists, willing and able to carry on efficient scientific work in the "Turkish Herpetological Centre" he himself had founded.

Publications of Prof. Dr. Muhtar BASOGLU:

This page organized by Bekir Keskin and Bayram Göçmen. (Based partly on "Muhtar BASOGLU" by Eiselt & Baran; Amphibia-Reptilia 2, 291-294, 1981)