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In the article, teleological thinking in Renaissance anatomy is presented by the example of the Wittenberg anatomist Johannes Jessenius (1566-1621), who performed the first public dissection in Prague in 1600 and published a description of it in Wittenberg in 1601. Jessenius, a graduate of the University of Padua, is also concerned with teleology, which he uses both to justify anatomical practice and to incorporate it into his own interpretation of anatomical acts. In my article, I focus primarily on the dedication and introduction to Jessenius's Prague Anatomy, where teleological thinking is most clearly manifested. I present the teleology in Jessenius in two stages with reference to the passage in the dedication to the Prague Anatomy. In keeping with contemporary practice, Jessenius interprets the Delphic oracle “Know Thyself” as a call to anatomical knowledge of the human body. At the same time the self-knowledge is the knowledge of God in the sense of the connection between cognitio sui and cognitio Dei. The knowledge of the principle of purposefulness thus seems to be the culmination of all anatomical study. In terms of teleology, Jessenius focuses on the points in which the human being differs from other creatures: mind, hand, upright figure. Special attention is paid in my paper to the anatomy of the hand, in which Jessenius follows specifically Andreas Vesalius, who adopts a teleological understanding of the hand from Aristotle and Galen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most woody plants belonging to the order Pinales have needles. Their anatomy has adapted to external conditions – mainly the deficit of water during winter. In cross section, the needles are different in shape, but the leaf anatomy of coniferous species is quite similar. However, there are inter-species differences in arrangement of hypodermis, in the type of mesophyll, in the number and arrangement of resin ducts, and in the number of vascular bundles. Needles are a suitable material for Biology lectures. Their advantage is their availability every season of the year. This paper offers some options for the observation of needle anatomy, recognition of species differences, and the use of an anatomical identification key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to horse chesnut as a suitable model organism for teaching botany at all levels of our schools. Horse chestnut is literally predisposed to didacticisation in botany teaching due to its general distribution, large and conspicuous organs; we are basically sure that pupils really know it. The paper focuses mainly on the morphological and anatomical characters that can be demonstrated during teaching biology; topics that are conspicuously or typically developed-firstly its origin (geographic and etymological), later it is devoted to vegetative and finally reproductive organs. The parasite horse-chestnut leaf miner is also discussed. It provides a description of all aspects and broader contexts that can be beneficial in school teaching; this paper does not attempt to present this information in the form of a project proposal or comprehensive activities, rather it should inspire and encourage laboratory and field work in biology classes in common ways-we believe that teachers will choose activities that are appropriate for their teaching. In addition to botanical content, the paper also links to the teaching of microbiology or chemistry to facilitate the use of interdisciplinary topics both in biology and in the natural sciences. The paper is divided in two following up parts; this is the second part that focuses on reproductive organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is dedicated to horse chesnut as a suitable model organism for teaching botany at all levels of our schools. Horse chestnut is literally predisposed to didacticisation in botany teaching due to its general distribution, large and conspicuous organs; we are basically sure that pupils really know it. The paper focuses mainly on the morphological and anatomical characters that can be demonstrated during teaching biology; topics that are conspicuously or typically developed - firstly its origin (geographic and etymological), later it is devoted to vegetative and finally reproductive organs. The parasite horse-chestnut leaf miner is also discussed. It provides a description of all aspects and broader contexts that can be beneficial in school teaching; this paper does not attempt to present this information in the form of a project proposal or comprehensive activities, rather it should inspire and encourage laboratory and field work in biology classes in common ways - we believe that teachers will choose activities that are appropriate for their teaching. In addition to botanical content, the paper also links to the teaching of microbiology or chemistry to facilitate the use of interdisciplinary topics both in biology and in the natural sciences. The paper is divided in two following up parts; this part focuses on common characteristics and vegetative organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]