Science Studies and Mendel's Paradigm

Vítězslav Orel studied at the Agricultural University in Brno in 1945–1949 and was captivated by the teaching of genetics in animal breeding. However, genetics was stigmatized as a reactionary science in 1948 in the then Czechoslovakia. He found a post in the newly established Research institute of poultry industry with the wish to apply genetics to poultry breeding. Since 1964, with the renovation of the Mendel museum in Brno, named the Mendelianum, his studies centered on the reconstruction of genetics in the historical investigation of Mendel's discovery. In 1965–1990 he was the head of the Mendelianum, in 1968–71 extramural professor of animal genetics at the Veterinary Faculty of Brno, and in 1972–89 extramural professor of animal genetics at Natural Faculty of Brno. In 1989 Ph. D. in biological sciences from the University of Prague. In 1992 the Veterinary Surgeons Society published the list of his 317 selected papers and books from 1948 to 2002. Retired from the Mendelianum in Brno and working at home, he investigated the origin of the research question of heredity and the essence and justification of Mendel's discovery in the broader historical network. Among the 60 publications after retirement are also books published by Oxford University Press: Gregor Mendel the first geneticist in 1996 and Genetic Prehistory in Selective Breeding a Prelude to Mendel (with R. J. Wood) in 2001.