Pursuing physiological studies at Leiden, De Vries earned his doctorate in plant physiology in 1870, but felt stifled by the university, where conditions for experimental work were crude and where there was open hostility to Darwinism. He therefore decided to continue his education in Germany, first at Heidelberg (1870) and then at Würzburg (1871) with Sachs who took a great interest in De Vries' career, helping him refine his experimental techniques and nominating him for several important posts over the next few years. Under Sachs' guidance De Vries began a series of detailed studies of osmosis, plasmolysis, and the effects of salt solutions on plant cells. He carried out these experiments at Würzburg, at Amsterdam while teaching in a gymnasium (1871-1877), and finally at the University of Amsterdam where he was appointed lecturer in plant physiology in 1877 and professor in 1881. He was at the same time director of the Botanic Gardens at the University of Amsterdam. De Vries remained at Amsterdam until compulsory retirement in 1918, when he moved to the small village of Lunteren.
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