Evolutionism in Poland in the years 1883-1959

At the end of XIX century and the beginning of the XX, a leading position in the area of evolution was occupied by B. Dybowski and J. Nusbaum, both at that time connected with Lwów. To 1902 Dybowski as a professor of Department Zoology in his papers and lectures promoted Darwinism, later changed the mind towards a peculiar monism. Great merits due to Józef Nusbaum for his popularization of Darwinism and new evolution theories. He was the author of an extensive book "Idea of evolution in biology" (1910). In the Second Republic of Poland the most active in the field of general biology and evolution was J. Dembowski. He critized the Morgan's theory of heredity and Haeckel's concept of phylogeny and phylogenetics trees. Dembowski wrote articles and several books among other "Darwin", first edition - 1936, fifth - 1961. Lysenkoism called "new biology", "new genetics", "active Darwinism" since 1949 was propagated in Poland by J. Dembowski, K. Petrusewicz, W. Michajłow and soon accepted by majority of leading polish biologists. In the years 1950-1955 several conferences were organized especially to educated young researches in Lysenkoism. The effect was opposite to aims. The young researches from December 1955 to April 1956 inspiring all Polish debate broke Lysenkoism back in Poland. In 1952 Polish Academy of Sciences established the Evolution Commission. In 1955 the Center for Documentation of Evolutionism was organized as a logistics base of Commission, both under leadership of K. Petrusewicz. Works of the Center were involved in studies on the reception of Darwinism in Poland in the second half of the XIX century. The working effects of the Evolution Commission in years 1952-1959 are ambivalent. While propagation of Lysenkoism's meet the repulse, editorial and translation actions of classic and modern evolution literature were profitable