Ruth Beutler: the woman behind Karl von Frisch

Abstract

The Journal of Comparative Physiology A was founded in 1924 as the Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie by Karl von Frisch and Alfred Kühn. Given the marginalization of women in science at that time, it is remarkable that the first article in the Journal was authored by a female scientist, Ruth Beutler. Throughout her scientific career, she was affiliated with the Zoological Institute of the University of Munich, which, under the leadership of von Frisch, evolved into a world-class academic institution. Despite chronic health problems, Beutler was one of the first women who succeeded in obtaining the Habilitation as qualification for appointment to a professorial position. She was also one of the first scientists who applied methods from physiological chemistry to the study of zoological phenomena. Yet, for many years she was employed as a technician only, and she was never appointed to an Ordinarius (tenured full professorship) position. Her most important contributions to comparative physiology outside her own area of research were her support for, and protection of, Karl von Frisch, particularly during the Nazi era when he, as a 'quarter-Jew,' faced imminent threat of forced retirement; and after World War II, when her efforts as interim Ordinarius were instrumental in re-building the bombed-out Zoological Institute to persuade Karl von Frisch to return to Munich. It was also one of her observations that prompted him to revisit, and revise, his earlier (incorrect) model of how honeybees communicate, through their dances, the direction and distances of food sources from the hive.

Keywords: Comparative physiology; Dance communication; Honeybees; Karl von Frisch; Ruth Beutler; Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie.

Fig. 1

Title page of the first article published in the Zeitschrift für vergleichende Physiologie. The paper, authored by Ruth Beutler, is entitled ‘Experimental Studies of Digestion in Hydra’. Reproduced from Beutler (1924). With kind permission of Springer-Verlag

Fig. 2

Ruth Beutler (left) with her sister Brigitte (right). The photograph was taken by Johann Niclou, Photographische Kunst-Anstalt Chemnitz, probably around 1907. Since the copyright term for Lichtbildwerke (artistic photographs) in Germany is the author’s lifetime plus 70 years, it is likely that this photograph is in the public domain

Fig. 3

Ruth Beutler with her father Moritz Beutler, her brother Otto Beutler, and the family dog Bazi. Photographer unknown. Since the copyright term for Lichtbilder, such as family pictures, in Germany is 50 years after their creation, this photograph is in the public domain

Fig. 4

Portrait photograph of Ruth Beutler, probably in her late teens. Photographer unknown. Since the copyright term for Lichtbildwerke (artistic photographs) in Germany is the author’s lifetime plus 70 years, it is likely that this photograph is in the public domain

Fig. 5

Ruth Beutler using a precision scale to determine the concentration of blood sugar. The picture was taken by the renowned photographer Georg Schödl on November 11, 1937, on the occasion of a radio broadcast titled Geheimnisse der Bienenwelt (The Secretive World of Bees). Courtesy: Stadtarchiv München (DE-1992-FS-PER-B-0308-01)

Fig. 6

a Written record of the requirements fulfilled by Ruth Beutler for her Habilitation. The recommendation for the award of this academic distinction was made unanimously by the eligible faculty and the dean. Note that several masculine words related to the gender identity of the applicant on the printed form are crossed out and replaced by the corresponding feminine word. In one instance, the masculine possessive pronoun was forgotten to be replaced so that the text reads seine Habilitationsschrift (his Habilitation thesis) instead of ihre Habilitationsschrift (her Habilitation thesis). The two signatures in the first signature line are those of Richard von Hertwig and Karl von Frisch. b Invitation to the trial lecture of Ruth Beutler on February 19, 1930. The lecture was part of the requirements for obtaining the authorization to teach (venia legendi). The session was chaired by the dean of the Faculty of Science, Constantin Carathéodory. Courtesy: Universitätsarchiv München (FakBio-VII-7)

Fig. 7

Petition letter to the Reich Ministry of Science, Education, and National Culture, signed by eight professors and lecturers of zoology at the University of Munich. In this letter, dated January 22, 1942, the signatories expressed their strong support of Karl von Frisch to prevent his forced retirement (for a translation of the letter see main text). The second signature on the left is that of Ruth Beutler. Courtesy: Bundesarchiv Berlin-Lichterfelde (R 4901/24579)

Fig. 8

Dance communication in bees. a Round dance. b Waggle dance. In both figures, the dashed lines, in combination with the arrows, indicate the course taken by the running bee. As Karl von Frisch demonstrated in the study published in 1946 for the first time, round dances are used by the bees to indicate food near the hive, whereas waggle dances are displayed to communicate information about food at distances greater than approximately 50–100 m. The frequency of the straight runs in the waggle dance conveys distance information. Reproduced from von Frisch (1957). Copyright Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg. With kind permission of Springer-Verlag

Fig. 9

Ruth Beutler and Karl von Frisch, probably in the 1950s. The photographer and the occasion at which this picture was taken are unknown. Since the copyright term for Lichtbilder, such as images captured by photojournalists, in Germany is 50 years after their creation, this photograph is in the public domain

Fig. 10

Ruth Beutler Street in Trudering-Riem, a municipality of Munich. It intersects with Selma Lagerlöf Street, named after the Swedish writer and Nobel laureate. Photograph by G.K.H. Zupanc