PHYTOLOGIA BALCANICA 12 (2): 143–147, Sofia, 2006 143 Prof. Michail Hristov (1895–1960) – founder of cytological, genetic and embryological studies in Bulgaria Dimitur Terziyski Department of Botany, Agricultural University, 12, Mendeleev St., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria On 21st December 2005 were commem- and his pure patriotism. His life philos- orated 110 years since the birth of the ophy, eloquently expressed in his behav- prominent Bulgarian scientist, Prof. iour, can be summarized in three words: Michail Hristov, the founder of cytolog- motherland, family and work. For him, ical, genetic and embryological studies these were sacred words and he never in Bulgaria. His legacy in these impor- made a compromise with them until the tant biological fields of study is so pro- end of his life. found and up-to-date that, although 45 Prof. Hristov’s childhood was marked years had passed since the end of his life, by poverty. His father, a patriot and par- it is still difficult to speak of him in the ticipant in the April uprising fell grave- past tense. His name is not only crowned ly ill and in order to make the ends meet with the glory of a pioneer teacher, but with his meagre disability pension, the with his high scientific accomplish- family moved into Perushtitsa, the na- ments, too, many of which have inspired PProf.rof. MM.. HHristovristov tive village of his mother. Young Michail ((21.XII.188521.XII.1885 — 99.V.1960).V.1960) admiration ever since and have made received his basic education there and in us feel proud. He is one of Bulgaria’s scientists with a 1914, after years of deprivation, finished high school manifest national and international presence. in Plovdiv. Had we been able to turn back he clock Prof. Michail Hristov was born in the town of of time to that period, we would have seen a thin Plovdiv to a teachers’ family. Both on his fathers’ and and silent, simply dressed, not very tall youth, with а mothers’ side he was descendant of heroic National high forehead and large black eyes, looking with sup- Revival families. Prof. Hristov’s grandfather was broth- pressed anguish. The times were harsh and the coun- er of the Bulgarian national hero, Kocho Chestimenski, try was poor and in ruins. the Balkan war had just in the 1876 April Uprising. His mother was sister of ended and the people suffered badly from the conse- Petur Bonev, the leader Perushtitsa rebels. His famil- quences and frustration brought about by the national ial memory emotionally charged with the glory of his catastrophe. The bright and studious youth wanted to ancestors, who gave their life for Bulgaria, influenced continue his education. He was deeply convinced that strongly his personality. He grew up as bright, patriot- by doing so, he would serve his motherland best. He ic young man, who loved deeply his motherland and wanted to study literature, but had no money. Young was painfully sensitive to any injustice. He managed Michail Hristov was well aware that there were nei- to retain these features throughout his life. All who ther any available job opportunities for him to sup- had the honour of being his students or had worked port himself, nor was his family able to provide such with him knew his high moral principles, straightfor- a support. However, destiny suddenly interfered with wardness, unaffected manner and lack of selfishness, an announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture and 144 Terziyski, D. • Prof. Michail Hristov (1895–1960) State Property for a Government scholarship compe- improved solely by the conservative method of con- tition for agricultural studies abroad. Being a dynamic tinuous natural selection. After the first field vis- and purposeful person, he did not hesitate. The coun- its, opinion polls and analyses, the young Assistant try needed badly educated people to develop mod- Professor drew some important conclusions: first, the ern agriculture and young Michail Hristov was suffi- tobaccos spread in Bulgaria were of the extensive type, ciently motivated to make such a sensible compromise well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the with his heartfelt desire. He won the competition and regions, but unable to achieve high yields or techni- in 1915 went to Vienna as a student of agriculture. A cal properties, and second, owing to their genetic het- fact from that period showed what a selfless and well- erogeneity, the Bulgarian tobaccos were invaluable as meaning person he was: two major personal qualities a genetic pool and stock material for effective genetic in his system of values. He used his small scholarship and selection work. These conclusions were to under- to support his brother’s studies for a chemical engi- lay a new, rationalised programme for more profound neer in Vienna. In 1921 Michail Hristov graduated as theoretical and experimental studies into the biolog- agronomic engineer. ical, physiological and reproductive tobacco charac- Back in Bulgaria, the highly qualified agricultur- teristics with a set of modern cytological and genetic al specialist lovingly began work on updating the ex- methods, which Michail Hristov implemented in the tremely primitive national agriculture ruined by the years to follow. Without these theoretical and experi- war. The well-informed agronomic engineer was well ential analyses it would have been impossible to car- aware that, in the absence of industry, the only chance ry out any exact taxonomic identification of the tobac- to revive quickly the economy of the country was to co types and to improve their variety composition and use the fine natural potential of Bulgarian agriculture. economic properties. Thanks to his analytical mind, Michail Hristov under- The scientific and experimental work of Prof. stood that the process would require some wide-rang- Michail Hristov can be conditionally grouped and di- ing educational, organizational and scientific efforts. vided into three main periods. The first, from 1921 Already then a major personal quality of his char- to the end of 1925, is a period of upgrading his sci- acter came to the fore: the ability to think over, plan entific, methodological and educational expertise, a and organize in detail every problem he was dealing period of final decision-making for further scientif- with. Wherefrom to start? He found the rational so- ic work. Supported and encouraged by the head of the lution and focused his attention on lines and culti- Department, Ivan Stranski, and the prominent spe- vars in which the country had greatest experience and cialist in animal cytology and embryology, Prof. Todor traditions, namely tobacco and vegetable production. Morov, in 1923-1924 Michail Hristov went to special- Two fortunate circumstances played a decisive role ize in Germany, at the Institute for selection and genet- for his future development and for the fulfilment of ics with the High school of agriculture in Berlin, and set objectives: one was the opening of the Faculty of at the Institute of Agriculture in the town of Halle. For Agronomy at the University of Sofia, the second was a the purposeful young scientist that training opened meeting with the eminent soil scientist, Academician up new vistas in the achievements of world botani- Ivan Stranski, then Associate Professor and head of cal and agricultural science. He improved his German the newly opened Department of General agriculture and practiced contemporary methods for the cytolog- at the new faculty. That experienced university profes- ical, caryological, genetic and embryological analysis, sor and scholar was impressed by the expertise, ideas as well as modern selection methods. Specialisation and emanation of the young specialist. He approved in Berlin and Halle increased his willingness to gain his intentions and advised the young man to concen- maximum experience and knowledge in microstruc- trate on priority studies into the distribution and vari- tural botany, which attracted him very much, because ety composition of Bulgarian tobaccos, owing to their Bulgaria lacked such specialists. On the following year economic importance. In the autumn of the same year he won a scholarship from the Rockefeller founda- he invited him to work as his Assistant Professor. The tion and continued his education in one of the world’s tobacco cultivars grown then in the country were ge- best scientific centres: the Institute of genetics and se- netically and morphologically heterogeneous popula- lection at Harvard University in Boston USA (1925- tions, resulting from uncontrolled hybridization and 1927), under the supervision of Prof. E. East. Thus the Phytol. Balcan. 12(2) • Sofia • 2006 145 ambitious youth’s dream to receive high education and sis and method of inquiry. Along with this, the spe- to carry out scientific research in some fields extreme- cies and cultivars of genus Nicotiana were perfect ly needed by his native country came true. model objects for cytogenetic experiments and anal- In the following decade he proceeded with his ca- ysis. That first stage of inventory-making and study reer in Bulgaria: Associated Professor (1926), full of Bulgarian tobacco varieties and species set up the Professor (1930) and Head of the Department of background for further in-depth studies by applica- Agricultural botany (from 1937 to 1960). He brought tion of an array of modern analytical methods: cary- new methods, terminology and techniques for cyto- ological and genetic analysis, emasculation and isola- logical, genetic and embryological analysis in Bulgaria tion experiments, meiotic analysis and progeny tests. and organized the first cytoembryological laborato- In the following years, and especially after his two spe- ry in the country. In spite of insufficient government cialisations abroad, Michail Hristov successfully im- funding, he turned the Department of Agricultural plemented that task and laid down the foundations botany and the Faculty of Agronomy into a centre of of cytological, genetic and embryological studies in cytological and embryological studies in line with the Bulgaria.