Otto Schmeil (external link) (1860-1943), like his father and grandfather, embarked on a career as a teacher. At the time, there was a clear gap between the level of knowledge in biology and teacher training. Otto Schmeil was one of the first in his field to use detailed and vivid illustrations to make even complicated biology topics easier to understand.
Schmeil's textbooks for natural history lessons emphasised the observation of nature and the discovery of causal relationships.
Schmeil's books ‘Der Mensch’ and ‘Pflanzenkunde’ quickly became popular. Even today, they are among the best-selling school textbooks in the world. ‘Der Schmeil’ has accompanied generations of pupils through their school years.
Otto Schmeil had three children: Johannes (1886-1957), Margarethe (1893-1976) and Werner (1896-1968). Johannes, the eldest, was the initiator of the Schmeil Foundation (external link), which was set up in memory of his father Otto Schmeil and his three sons who died in the war. Following Otto and Johannes Schmeil's professional orientation, the foundation's mission was established to support biological and medical research.