Op heterdaad betrapt? Hugo de Vries en zijn houding tegenover vrouwen in de wetenschap

Abstract

Caught red-handed? Hugo de Vries' views on women in science Many stories, most of them unflattering, are still told about the botanist Hugo de Vries (1848-1935). One of these, published many times in recent years, has it that de Vries secretly spoiled the experiments on fungi carried out by one of his students, the later professor of phytopathology Johanna Westerdijk (1883-1961). Suspecting that someone might be messing with her cultures, Westerdijk locked herself in the laboratory one night and caught De Vries red-handed. De Vries is supposed to have told Westerdijk that he did not want women to graduate from university. Although most writers who mention the incident seem to be aware that it is only a rumour, the story is nevertheless generally presented as evidence that in de Vries' opinion, there was no place for women in science. The present authors have found many examples that contradict this view. De Vries was on friendly terms with many women (both students and nature lovers) with whom he wholeheartedly shared his scientific knowledge. As for Westerdijk, she was appointed director of the Dutch Phytopatological Laboratory soon after her graduation thanks to a praising recommendation by De Vries. It is conceivable that Westerdijk, who strongly disliked de Vries in later years, made up the story of his spoiling her experiments.