Professor Ernst Bresslau, founder of the Zoology Departments at the Universities of Cologne and Sao Paulo: lessons to learn from his life history.

In this article, the life history of the founding father of the departments of Zoology at the Universities of Cologne and Sao Paulo, Prof. Ernst Bresslau, is described on occasion of the establishing of the “Ernst Bresslau Guest Professorship” at the University of Cologne. His main scientific achievements are discussed, in particular his research on the evolutionary origin of the mammary apparatus, in addition to his broad interest in biological topics. Among the many technical advancements that he introduced was the micro slow-motion camera developed together with the Zeiss Company which allowed to film ciliary beats at high speeds.