Matthias Jakob Schieiden (1804-1881): The History of Jewish Interest in Science and the Methodology of Microscopic Botany

As one of the originators of the cell theory, the German botanist Matthias Jakob Schleiden is a key figure in the development of nineteenth-century biology. His numerous writings include a study on Judaism and the history of science. Not only does Schleiden's appraisal of Judaism contrast with the academic antisemitism of his time, it also breaks with the anti-Judaism of his philosophical mentors, Kant and Fries. Schleiden's apology for Judaism is shown to be deeply rooted in his ideas about scientific progress, especially his methodology of microscopic botany. Judaism is considered as analogous to modern laboratory science.