Mesology

Mesology (Ancient Greek μέσος, mésos "middle" and -λογια -logia "branch of study") is a former term for the science ecology or the study of the mutual interrelationships between the living creatures and their biological, social, and environmental surroundings. (Not to be confused with mesology as being "the study of ways of achieving happiness".[1])

History

The term Mesology was introduced 1860 by Louis-Adolphe Bertillon for the first time, with the purpose to create a branch of biology that would describe the relationship between the environment and the organisms, living inside it. Bertillon derived the concept from the French expression, with the same meaning, „Science des milieux“ (science of environment).[2] Later on he expanded the concept towards sociology.

Today the word mesology is mainly used only in French[3] or Portuguese[4] languages. In English the form more used is Ecology (introduced in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel) is preferred, instead of Mesology.

References

Look up mesology in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  1. ↑ meaning of "mesology" TheFreeDictionary mesology (online), The Free Dictionary, 2013. Vizited: 2013-03-05.
  2. ↑ Toepfer, Georg (2011). Historisches Wörterbuch der Biologie (in German). 2. Stuttgart: Metzler. pp. 681; 706. ISBN 978-3-476-02318-6.
  3. ↑ Schäfer, Matthias. Wörterbuch der Ökologie (in German) (4 ed.). Spektrum. p. 199.
  4. ↑ Vieira, Waldo (2012) [1996]. "5". Nossa Evolução (in Portuguese) (3 ed.). Foy do Iguaçu, Brazil: Editares. p. 33. ISBN 978-85-98966-58-8.
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